Falling For You
by Moonlit-Kris
Summary: Kish comes back after 2 years to see Ichigo, and Pai captures her against her will so he can research her. But there is a more sinister reason to why he captured her... but will Ichigo find her feelings for Kish and the real reason she's there? IXK!
1. Starting To Fall

**UPDATE [Sept. 26 2007: I have just realised i had posted two chapters TWICE! Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Gomen! Now the story will make SENSE!! Please re-read if you have read before and didnt get to read the bath scene ... nyaa gomen nasai!!  
Ok, let's get on with the story!**

**Just a few key phrases and translations before I start...**

**Hai- Yes  
Iie- No  
Arigatou [gozaimasu- Thankyou [very much  
Ohayo [gozaimasu- Good Morning  
Konnichiwa- Hello/Good Afternoon  
Moshi Moshi- Hello [on the phone only  
-San/-Chan/-Kun- Sort of like Mrs/Miss/Mr etc. It's pretty much just polite to say  
Koneko- Kitten (Kish's nickname for Ichigo is Koneko-CHAN, which is just an affectionate thing, ne?)**

**THAT SHOULD BE IT FOR NOW! ENJOY! Nyan!**

**Reunited**

The sun set softly over Tokyo. A 15 year old walked out of a small Café known as Café Mew Mew and placed the Closed sign on the door. Ichigo Momomiya was still working at the same Café as a waitress, even though the Mew Project was over and half the team had gone away. Zakuro was in China and Mint said she didn't want to work anymore if Zakuro wasn't there. It was only Pudding, Lettuce and Ichigo, but Ryou Shirogane had started as a waiter when both girls left.

" I'm off!" She called as she walked down the path.

" Bye! See you Monday!" The crew called. She smiled and continued walking.

As she walked alone down the streets of Tokyo, her mind floated back to the person she fell in love with. Masaya Aoyama wasn't with her anymore, he was living with his real parents for a while, and they had broken up.

' He said he'd come back for me, but he hasn't… maybe… he's happy now…' She thought sadly. She walked slower with this thought, and since she was so distracted, she didn't realise she was being watched.

A young alien, around Ichigo's age, was watching her uneasily. He didn't like the fact her sad face was filling his gold eyes. He decided it was the time now to become reunited with Ichigo. He landed softly behind her and spoke.

" Hello…Ichigo…" He said softly. Ichigo froze. She knew that voice.

" Kish!" She cried with both surprise, shock and excitement.

" It's been a while hey?" Kish said, now returning to his normal tone of voice. Ichigo instinctivly bent her knees and readied her hands. She wasn't a Mew Mew anymore but she still could fight if necessary.

" What are you doing on Earth again!? What do you want? I thought you had---" She nearly finished her sentence, but Kish had placed a finger on her lips. Electricity flew through her body and she softened her stance.

" Sh… it's ok… I'm not here to fight." Kish said, once again softly. " I'm here on vacation." Ichigo blushed, realising his hand had moved to her shoulder. Her stomach turned inside out .

" I…see… Really?" Her voice was suprisingly… happy. Kish placed his other hand on her other shoulder and smiled.

" Yeh."

" Cool!"

" So… do you wanna go for a walk? Catch up?"

" S…sure!"

---

Ichigo felt strange as she walked next to her companion. This man…no…alien, was once her enemy. He had used her as a toy to get what he wanted and yet he had saved her on many occasions…and now here he was, acting like it never happened. What had made her feel so sure that he wasn't lying anyway!?

' Maybe…hopefully…he's changed…perhaps….' Ichigo was once again interupted by Kish.

" Are you ok?" She nodded quickly, but Kish wasn't convinced. " I suppose I understand, it's a bit… different… to have me just jump down after two years… maybe this wasn't a good idea…" Ichigo shook her head.

" No! No it's ok. Yeh, it's weird. I'll admit it. But… what scares me the most is… you've changed…"

' Didn't you want me to change?' Kish thought. He looked up and noticed something.

' I'll remind you of old times.' He grinned, grabbed Ichigo and kissed her on the lips. She didn't kiss him back. When he broke away, Kish pointed up to a building.

" This is where we first met remember?" He smirked. She remembered. "Koneko-chan?" Ichigo hit him. Hard.

" Pervert! I guess you havnt changed! Argh!" She quickly walked off.

" No! Ichigo!" He ran after her. " Wait!" She stopped.

" What now?" She was angry. Any idiot could tell. But Kish noticed something. She was red, but she wasn't blushing.

"…Ichigo…you're…crying!?"

**2. Friends or Foes?**

" Ichigo…"

" Kish… just… go…" She said inbetween sobs. Kish kissing her had reminded her of being a Mew Mew, and of Masaya and…and…

" Ichigo I'm sorry, what did I do?" She turned away from him and started running. But this time Kish didn't chase after her. He just smiled.

" Like old times." He told himself and he teleported away.

After she realised he wasn't chasing her, Ichigo sat down on a bench in a deserted park.

' What's… going… on… with me? I don't like Kish. It's been two years for god's sake! But Masaya's gone…am I really that desperate for affection? But…'

Ichigo thought about Kish. She hadnt noticed, but he had changed a little since they last saw eachother. He had longer hair and his clothes were different. His voice was a bit different but apart from that… it was his attitude. They wernt enemies anymore. He was trying to be friends.

" Idiot." She cursed.

---

Kish was sitting on his bed in the ship they were visiting Earth in.

" Why the long face?" Pai asked as he walked into Kish's room. " Didn't go so well with the toy?"

" She's not a toy!" Kish snapped.

" Ok then. By the way…" Pai had that mad scientist tone in his voice. " You know you have to bring her back soon."

" Oh and bring Pudding too!" Tart bounced into the room. " But not to kill her!"

" Why should I do either?" Kish asked. " She won't come. You know that."

" Ah, you did skrew up then hey?" Tart taunted. Kish half-heartedly tried to hit him.

" Use force. It worked last time…" Pai stated and they both disappeared.

' Maybe… maybe I will. Sorry Ichigo…' He too disappeared.

Even though it was dark, Ichigo still sat in the same spot. Her thoughts were still on Kish.

" Kish…" She whimpered.

" Hai?" He answered, appearing behind her. She jumped up and turned around.

" Holy…don't do that!"

" Ichigo, I'm sorry for before… anou… I thought you didn't like my change…" Ichigo stood there, staring into his golden eyes.

" I-- forgive you." She smiled slightly, which made it harder for Kish to do what he had come to do. " It's nice to know some things never change." Her heart was thumping a hundred miles a minute and she was still blushing.

" Thanks Ichigo… Now, come on, come with me."

" With you…where?" Ichigo was on her guard.

" To the ship. Pai wants to record some data on humans and he wants you."

" But I said I'm not a Mew Mew anymore! You lied! You said you were on--"

" Vacation? Well I am. But Pai never takes a break." He sighed. " Please, don't make this difficult. Will you come with me?" Ichigo was so sure she could trust him before. But now…

" No! I can't… I don't know…" Kish just smirked.

" Ok… you win. I go alone." He disappeared. Ichigo looked around but couldn't see anything or anyone.

' Did he really-" Suddenly she was knocked out cold.

---

Ichigo felt her head before anything else. She couldn't really remember what had happened. But she heard voices from outside…outside where? She sat up and concentrated on the voices.

" You idiot! Why did you knock her out! You could have hurt her!"

" Well you wernt brining her back with you! You returned here without her!"

" Or Pudding either! You forgot didn't you!"

" You still didn't have to hit her! What if she doesn't wake up." Ichigo heard laughing.

" Then it'll make it everything a hell of a lot easier!"

" You!!" She heard a thump and a gasp.

" KISH!"

" I'll go check on her. Go wash your face Pai, it's all bloody. Tart, go with him." Ichigo heard a door open and there stood Kish.

" Ichigo!? You're awake!" He rushed over to her and checked her head. " Hows your head?" The amount of concern in his voice was more than enough to make Ichigo's stomach backflip.

" It hurts… but… where am I? And…" she breathed deeply. " WHO KNOCKED ME OUT!? Are we friends or foes Kish?" Kish placed a finger on her lips again and smiled.

" You're so cute when you're angry!" He laughed. She smiled but her eyes were still serious.

" Oh alright then. You're on our ship… and Pai knocked you out. It wasn't me!" She eyed him off with a glare. " Please, believe me!" Ichigo nodded. She grabbed his hand off her lips and started talking.

" So…you… really were gonna go alone?" She didn't realise that she was still holding his hand. He didn't move it, or say anything about it.

" Yup. I told you before didn't I? I'm on vacation. I'm not here to hurt you." He frowned. " But I better get you back to…Aoyama." He sighed heavily but quickly notcied that Ichigo's eyes has started to water.

" Masa…Masaya and I… well he's…" Kish squeezed her hand. Once again, he'd made her cry.

" Ichigo… I never meant to…"

" It's ok. He went to live with his real parents far away. And we broke up. When you kissed me before, it reminded me of the time we spent together. The time that has gone now. And I just cracked." Kish sat down beside her.

" Wow… sorry Ichigo…"

" It's ok. Kish… there's more." Kish smiled. Ichigo was willing to talk to him. Maybe Pai bringing her here wasn't a bad idea.

" I'll listen".

---

This was the longest they'd ever talked without it being aggressive. He enjoyed having her so close. Two years didn't change the affection he had for her. Kish listened undividedly as Ichigo told him about the Mew Mews break up, and how she felt so alone without Masaya.

(' Just like I felt all that time without you Ichigo.')

He listened when she described the complicated break up, and how Masaya had found his parents. When she had finished, she just sat there, staring into nothing.

" Ichigo… I never realised… damn it you've had it tough. Should I take you home now?" Kish's heart sunk as he realised she'd probably want to go home. But instead, she shook her head.

" No." That's all she said.

Truth be told, she was enjoying it with Kish. The whole time she had told him her sob story, he had listened. He wiped away her tears when she started crying, played with her hair and, even though she only just noticed it fully, put his arm around her to hug her. He really was the first person to listen to her whole-heartedly about everything.

' Kish has really changed. Is it alright? To be with him? Two years ago, no. He scared me. But now…' She sighed and he stood up.

" Ichigo, are you hungry? I can't guarentee it's edible for you, but we have some food and-"

" I'm fine."

" Thirsty?"

" No thanks."

" Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"…" Ichigo took a while to answer. She was staring at Kish. His face had changed. Definitely. He smiled a lot more now days. And his body… it was more refined, but softer. She realised he had asked her a question and shook her head.

**3. Koneko-Chan**

It was awkward for both Kish and Ichigo in that room. For one, Ichigo didn't want to leave Kish's side, even though he was once the enemy. On a second note, Kish was acting so kind to her, Ichigo felt a bit woozy. So much had changed. For the better.

" You must want something?" Kish said. He was beginning to blush, and he'd never blushed before. Ichigo really just wanted to stay where she was. Unless he was dreaming. He'd had this dream before. And aliens don't always dream.

" No, I'm alright as I am. Arigatou Kish."

" Well, should I leave you alone or do you still want me here?" Ichigo didn't know what to say. She tried to smile but she couldn't.

" Stay… it's lonely here." Kish nodded.

" I know." He replied sadly.

' What does that mean?' Ichigo thought in shock.

Ichigo was confused now. She hung her head and placed it in her arms. Kish didn't know what to do. So he did what he thought would make her smile.

" Kish, you ok?" He had stood there for a while, not moving. All of a sudden, he pounced on her and pegged her to the bed. He laughed.

" Remember this?" She smiled before struggling to get him off her. He tried to kiss her, but she moved in time.

" Aww it's no fun when you struggle!" He was still laughing and smiling. " Koneko-chan!" Ichigo stopped struggling and just lay there, as if she were unconcious.

" Ichigo? Ichigo!" He quickly got off, worried he'd hurt her. "Ichigo!"

" Gotcha!" She laughed as her eyes sprung open. " You're a lot stronger than two years ago! Then again, I'm not a Mew Mew anymore so…"

Kish was happy he'd made her laugh and smile again. She laughed and grabbed a pillow. Somehow she mustered enough strength to knock Kish back with the pillow. He was shocked.

" I said I wasn't here to fight!"

" But I never made any promises!" Ichigo lunged at him again with the pillow. He floated around her attack and grabbed her from behind. She dropped the pillow and turned around.

" Ichigo… do you remember… I used to call you 'Koneko-Chan' because I liked you?" Ichigo nodded, her attention on the fact his arms were around her waist.

" Well, I still do, Koneko-Chan. I still like you. Maybe more." He kissed again, and this time, she didn't squirm, or break away like Kish expected. Instead, she kissed him back.

---

It was such a huge shock to Kish that he broke away and stared at her. Ichigo was just as shocked as he was. Why did she kiss him back? Why?

" Ichigo?!" She looked at him, with a blank expression on her face.

" Hai?"

" Wha--why--how…?" He was freaking out. He enjoyed it, god he enjoyed it. But why the change of heart?

" I'm sorry Kish. I never meant to shock you. I just… I dunno." She walked over to the bed and sat down. It was quiet, and she didn't like it.

" So… where exactly am I?" Kish was glad she wasn't making him talk anymore about how he felt, because he felt sick in the stomach. Like there were a million butterflies floating about.

" You're on our ship… in my room." Ichigo looked around for the first time. She had noticed the soft black bed in the corner, but didn't pay attention to anything else. There was a desk with paper all over it, and in another corner there was a nightstand with a lamp, more paper and other unidentified objects. Kish continued talking.

" It's not much but this is what I call home really. For the past two years this is what I've surrounded myself with."

" Ok then… So how long has it been since we met today?"

" Um… about… eight hours."

" Eight hours! Oh my god everyone's going to wonder where I am, I promised mum and dad I'd call, I said to Mint I'd ring her about something and I think Miwa was going to call me! Are you _sure_ it's been eight hours?"

" Well yeh. You were out for a while. I was scared you wouldn't wake up. If you didn't…" He stopped and stared at Ichigo right in the eyes.

" I would have killed Pai for hurting you. I thought you were dead before, so I kinda broke his nose." Kish's voice trailed off and Ichigo finally realised how he felt. How he felt when she turned him down time after time two years ago. And how he felt when she ran off earlier.

" Thankyou Kish, for looking after me." She stood up and walked over to him.

" You've made me smile again. I wouldn't have expected it coming from you but you've changed. I really like it." She placed her head on his chest and her arms around his shoulders.

" You've changed too, Ichigo."

" Really?" She said without opening her eyes or moving.

" Yeh you've put on a bit of weight and…" He stopped because Ichigo hit him. She was angry, and yet she was still smiling.

**WHOO! That's the first 3 chapters of my main story in ONE mega chapter! I plan to do this for the rest of the story, seeing I have 20+ chapters on 50+ pages in my document at home on Word! I received a reply within ONE HOUR of me posting the fic, so I decided to take their advice and make longer chapters, therfore I have!**

**Thankyou to Wraith Kyuubi for your lovely first review!**

**Anyway, I'm back to updating now!**

**Moonlit-Kris!**

**( PS: Are you enjoying the story?) Nyan! **


	2. Fallen Completely

**4. What next?**

Kish and Ichigo continued a pillow fight for a litle while longer. Ichigo was finally thinking of something else other than work, school or Masaya. And she was finally having fun.

" Take this Ichigo!" Kish said and he whacked her with the pillow he found in his cupboard. Ichigo decided it was time to finish up and just fell like a feather, landing on her pillow.

" Yo, what's wrong? Did that hurt the little Mew Mew?"

" No, I'm tired…" Ichigo yawned. It was probably past midnight now, and she _was_ tired.

" I'll get you some blankets."

" Where am I going to sleep?" She inquired, hoping it wasn't in another room. Truth be told, she enjoyed Kish's company, but the real reason she was here was because Pai had kidnapped her. She was scared he'd get to her before Kish could help her.

" Do you mind the floor? Maybe you should sleep on the bed…" He trailed off, a perverted smirk covering his face.

" It's ok, the floor's fine. Thanks again Kish." He blushed again. Never had he enjoyed himself that much. And he realised that this was really the first time ever that Ichigo had thanked him for anything. Today was full of firsts.

" It's ok. I might go to sleep too. It's late."

" 'Night, Kish."

" Goodnight…Koneko-Chan."

---

Kish was awoken in the middle of the night by talking. He sat up and looked down at Ichigo. She was shaking in her sleep and sobbing.

" Masaya… Zakuro… Mint… don't go…" He frowned, wiping away her tears. She stopped sobbing and all was quiet for a while.

" Kish… how come… it alright… be with you…" She whispered, not shaking nor crying anymore. Kish smiled, wishing he knew what she was dreaming.

Kish woke up before Ichigo and just sat there, watching her. Pai came in and asked for her, but Kish told him that she was asleep and when she was awake he could come back. Ichigo awoke soon after.

" What the hell? Where am I?" She asked, a bit disorientated.

" Don't you remember? Ichigo it's alright." Kish said, kneeling next to her.

Suddenly she remembered. " Sorry! I forgot. I had a weird dream last night." Kish was relieved she remembered. It might have been difficult to convince her that he wasn't going to hurt her.

" Oh really?" He smirked, knowing that some of it had to do with him.

" Yeh, but I don't really remember."

" Oh."

" Do you dream?" Kish didn't answer for a little while. He was thinking about it. Do alien's usually dream? He surely did. Mainly about Ichigo. But it probably wasn't the best to mention that right now.

" Yeh. But I don't remember them either."

" Ok then. So… what next?" Ichigo hated the awkward silences. They were so quiet and now Kish wasn't the enemy, she had begun to like him as if he were a friend. It was scary. She had kissed him before… but was it just a sympathy kiss? Or was it more…

" Well Pai wants to do tests on you… so… should we get that done with? I mean, if we do it now, we know he's not going to steal you to do tests… I know he won't hurt you."

" Will you be there?" She asked, concerned. Kish's face brightened. He loved it when she wanted him there.

" Yeh I will, Koneko-Chan."

---

" I never noticed how fascinating human blood is." Pai stated, looking at a sample he had taken from Ichigo. During the whole ordeal of trying to get Ichigo to have her needle, Kish stayed right there with her.

" It seems you have two cells, unlike us, with only one…hm…"

" Ichigo, don't worry about it now. He's ranting. He won't stop. Let's go." Ichigo went but she turned around to look at Pai's nose, which was bandaged up. She felt her own nose, knowing it wasn't good to get on Kish's bad side.

" Don't worry Ichigo, I won't break your nose." Kish laughed, noticing what she was doing.

" Good!"

" So do you want anything?"

" Uh… do you have any water?" Ichigo felt so weird asking Kish for hospitality, it wasn't normal.

" Yeh. Wait here." And he walked off. Ichigo didn't do as he said, instead she decided to snoop around.

' Perhaps I'll find a way out… just in case Kish isnt with me next time Pai tries to test me. I might even find the bathroom. I need to wash my face!' She thought.

So she headed in the opposite direction to the kitchen (or wherever Kish went to get her water) and found a few doors. Most of them looked like rooms, so she didn't bother going into them. But she eventually found a door that was bigger than the others. It took a bit of strength but Ichigo finally opened the door.

As soon as she did, she realised they were floating in the air! She screamed as she lost her balance and fell down… down… down…

' They say curiosity killed the cat, but I'm not a cat anymore!'

" Aiiii!" She screamed. " I can't land, I'm not a cat!" she screamed.

' Arigatou Kish for making me smile. I hope that you're happy wherever you are Masaya. Mum, Dad, I'm sorry for ever being a nuisence. Miwa, Moe, thankyou for being my best friends! Zakuro, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, Ryou, Keiichirou, Thankyou for the best time I've ever had.' Ichigo prayed.

She closed her eyes, expecting a thud any second. She felt a thud, but it wasn't what she was expecting. She felt herself rise up…up…

" Am I dead?" She thought aloud.

" No, you're not." A voice answered.

" Kish!!"

" What are you trying to do, escape!?"

" No! I was… looking for you!"

" Are you sure you wernt trying to escape?" Kish asked with a hint of sadness in his voice. Ichigo gasped.

" No! Kish I wouldn't leave."

" If you want to go home…" He loosened his grip on her. " I'll let you go." And that's what he did.

" NO!" Ichigo grabbed onto Kish and nearly chocked him. She was holding him so tightly that her grip was crushing him.

" Ichigo, let go."

" NO!"

" Ichigo!"

" NO!"

" Koneko-Chan…" Somehow, Ichigo looked up at Kish to see that he was smiling kindly. She felt his arms around her and she loosened her grip. Kish flew no higher, instead he teleported to his room.

**5. Confession**

Even when Kish had landed them both on the ground of his room, Ichigo didn't let go. She was shaking in fear. She was scared that Kish nearly let her go.

" What were you thinking!? Would you really let me go! I could have died!" Ichigo screamed when she finally let go. Kish put his hand up to quieten her down again, but she slapped it away.

" I thought you had changed. You said you cared! You were so nice and now… now… Kish!" She stood there fuming.

' She really thought I would let her fall.' Kish frowned and took a step towards her. She backed away but fell onto the bed. Kish kept walking and calmly lay ontop of her. He stroked her face gently and whispered in her ear.

" Ichigo, I wouldn't ever hurt you. I did before, but that was my mission. My mission this time around was to make you smile. But instead I made you sad. Then angry. I'm sorry." He stood up and stared at her. She still lay on the bed, her heart beating faster still.

" Kish…"

" I'm sorry Ichigo. I didn't mean to scare you." He started walking towards the door slowly, but Ichigo grabbed his hand and stopped him.

" Why… why do you call me your Koneko-chan, and then Ichigo?" She asked, still holding his hand.

" Ichigo is your name isnt it? Koneko… is just a name I have for you sometimes."

" What are those times?" Kish couldn't explain it. How could he tell her it was when he held her near, when he knew that she was feeling friendly, and only when he felt happy? He decided he would explain it as he felt it.

" When I feel close to you." Kish blushed and held Ichigo's hand properly.

" Well, I can understand. When you do, it makes me feel safe. I can trust you when you say that. And when do you think I'd ever hate you for it?" Ichigo was smiling. In her heart she realised that she had definitely fallen for this alien. She knew there was no more use in denying it. It was a bit creepy, and unusual considering the past they had, but she didn't care.

" Kish…" She gulped. He made it seem so easy to tell her he felt all the time.

" Anou… I… I think I…" He stood there, his heart doing flips as she tried to explain herself to him. She didn't say anything else, she just kept holding his hand and smiled.

' What was she trying to say? No way… I don't think…?' Kish was semi-grateful to hear his name called from Pai. Ichigo frowned at him.

" Ichigo, I'll be back. I promise. You relax." And he disappeared.

---

" Koneko-Chan?" Kish walked into the room where he left Ichigo. He was talking to Pai and Tart and left her to relax. She had snuck under the black covers and fallen asleep.

' His bed is so soft…' She thought as she dozed off.

" Ichigo…" Kish whispered. He smiled. Her hair was spread over the pillow and she was breathing softly. Kish walked over to her and stroked her hair out of the way. He wasn't about to sleep on the floor. He pulled half the covers back and lay in bed next to Ichigo.

" Goodnight Ichigo, Koneko-Chan!" He whispered. If she was angry he was sleeping next to him, he'd deal with it in the morning.

Once again, Ichigo had an uneasy sleep. She didn't talk this time, but she kept moaning and shaking. Kish grabbed her hand and stroked it until she calmed down.

' It's like stroking a cat until it falls asleep.' He thought, moving a bit closer to her. The double bed was a bit lonely usually, and he wasn't sure Ichigo would sleep with him in the same bed again. So he enjoyed the company the most he could.

**6. Strawberry**

Kish could feel Ichigo stir as she began to wake up. He had slept great and Ichigo didn't wake up again after the first time. He stroked her face to wake her up slowly, but she woke up quickly as he had startled her.

" What the hell!? Kish!" She sat up and shook him. " What the hell?!"

" Ichigo, Ohayo!" He said as happy as possible. " What do you mean, 'what the hell?'. Don't you remember?" Ichigo's face dropped with fear. Kish laughed.

" Just tricking. Nah, you fell asleep last night here and I decided id keep you company. You've been moaning in your sleep, I wanted to make sure you're ok…" Ichigo lay down again, relieved that she remembered everything properly.

" Ok then…" She said, tugging the sheets up. She yawned and closed her eyes. " Night."

" What? You can't go back to sleep!" Kish said, sitting up this time.

" And why not?"

" Because! I'm up! What am I supposed to do?"

" Oh I dunno." She said, rolling over. Just then her stomach rumbled.

" What the heck was that?!" Kish yelled, startled. He floated above Ichigo and crossed his legs. She was blushing. " Ah I see, you want to go back to sleep because it will take your mind off food! Ah. Ok. You can go back to sleep, I'll be back!"

" Kish don't leave-" He disappeared. "-me."

---

Ichigo did nod off for a short while, but she was interupted by someone poking her arm.

" Wow, human flesh is softer than I thought!" Tart was standing there at her bed side. Is it softer on your belly?" He floated over the top of her.

" Tart!" It wasn't exactly the best wake up call for someone to want to poke your stomach.

" What? Pai wants me to get a sample from your stomach, because apparently you're hungry." He had his hands on her stomach now and it growled.

" WHAT THE!?" He nearly hit his head on the roof in shock. " What was that!?"

" I'm hungry! So my stomach growls."

" Sounds like you ate one of our old Chimera Animals!" He sat down on Kish's desk and stared at her. " So why are you on Kish's bed anyway?"

" Huh?"

" He usually kills us if we even try touch his linen or his pillows to wash them. He does it all by himself. So why can you just sleep there and he not care? Or doesn't he know?"

" He knows, and he doesn't care. I fell asleep here, and he didn't want to move me!"

" Aah I see. So it's different for girls he likes to fall asleep there, but when I'm sick and waiting for him I get in the bad books for lying on his bed. Great to know. Anyway, I'll come back for that sample later. I think Kish's back." And he disappeared.

" Tart!" Ichigo growled.

" Ichigo!" Kish appeared beside her. " Where is he? Is he giving you trouble?" He sounded so defensive and caring, she decided to keep him away from Tart. He reminded her of Pudding Fong, and besides, he had just talked to her, he didn't harrass her.

" It's ok. He wasn't annoying me much." She smiled.

" … Ok. Oh! For you, Koneko-Chan." Kish placed a bowl with three pancakes doused in maple syrup and five strawberries on her lap. She squealed in delight!

" Kish! How did you know?" She grabbed one strawberry and bit into it. " Yum!"

" Well, when you're constatnly watching someone, you figure it out pretty quickly." He smiled. " It took a while to find everything, I think I caused a bit of a scare in the restraunt I got those… cake… things… from." Ichigo chocked on her strawberry.

" You--stole--these?"

" Ichigo! Don't choke! I'm not good with things like this!" She swallowed the strawberry and took a few deep breaths.

" How could you steal these? I mean… hang on… you went back to Earth twice now haven't you! To get me and to get food…"

" Well, it's four times really. To get you, but that failed, I came to talk to you but Pai knocked you out, I sort of went back to catch you from falling and now these yeh." He stroked her neck.

" It's ok, I'm not chocking anymore. But… how come you went back to Earth?"

" Well, we don't really have food for humans here." He laughed sheepishly. "We _are_ aliens remember?"

" I know… hey you want some?" She offered him a strawberry and a pancake.

" You'll like it!" She smiled. Kish took the strawberry and looked at it.

" It's so weird… whats the seeds on the outside? What is it like?"

" It's sweet and wonderful. And those seeds arnt really that noticable when you bite it."

" Ok then Ichigo…" He took a bite into it. The flavor exploded in his mouth and he closed his eyes. He didn't like it at first but eventually he got used to it.

" Mmm! It's delicious!"

" I told you! Sweet and wonderful! That's why I love them!" Ichigo smiled and bit into another strawberry. Kish smiled.

---

" Thankyou so much for breakfast Kish!" Ichigo smiled. She had finished the meal slowly as she kept offering some to Kish. He enjoyed it but he loved the strawberrys best. To him, kissing Ichigo had the same taste as eating a strawberry, but he prefered kissing Ichigo. He got up out off bed and stretched. Kish turned around and it was then Ichigo noticed bruises all over Kish's neck and arms. When he faced her side on, she saw the bruises on his cheeks.

" Kish!!" She cried.

" Ichigo what's wrong?" He ran over to her and she stepped back.

" Kish, your neck, your cheeks, your arms! They're bruised! Did I?" He hid his arms behind his back and shrugged his shoulders.

" I didn't notice them." He lied. The bruises all over his neck and arms were from Ichigo squeezing him when he had 'dropped' her. And she had slapped him a few times in the past few days, so his cheeks were red and blue.

" Liar! Kish why didn't you tell me?" Ichigo stepped forward but stepped back. " I don't want to hurt you again!"

" Koneko-chan…don't worry about it. I don't mind, it's fine."

" Kish…"

" Well if you won't hug me, I'll just hug you!" He put down the plate and grabbed her. He ran his fingers up and down her neck and back and could have sworn he felt the shivers running down them. 7. Explosion 

Ichigo sat down at Kish's desk while he was out. She didn't know why he kept disappearing, but she didn't mind being alone, knowing he was still there somewhere. She started reading the notes on his desk, and figured out some of them were ripped out diary enteries, and some were research. Tites such as " Aliens on Earth" and " DNA Change" were on those pages. And in the diary entries, they all spoke of Ichigo.

'_I wish I could return to Earth. I know Ichigo and Aoyama are probably together, but I could become her friend. I want to make her smile. I want her to smile at me. Just one more time.'_

_-----_

'_I've decided to return to Earth, but not to complete my mission set by the council. Pai and Tart are coming. Apparetnly Tart wants to see someone named 'Pudding' (wasn't that one of the Mews?) and Pai wants to collect some comparison data… whatever. I just want to see Ichigo. I think it's time I saw her again. If I don't see her, I'll probably explode. I love her. Even though I know we'll never be together- as soon as we return- I'll be exicuted.'_

Ichigo gasped. She didn't understand somethings in the entry, but one thing was clear.

' Kish has wanted to see me for so long, even after we defeated the aliens and sent them home. He's loved me for years…' Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

" You know, I might not want you reading my personal journal." Kish said. Ichigo stood up quickly and stuttered.

" I-I, anou, well I didn't mean to- that is I didn't know that uh well-" Kish put his finger on her lips again. It always seemed to work. She always was quiet and listened.

" Alright. It's OK I guess. I saw you looking at the papers. I know you wernt purposly looking for my journal." He smiled slightly, but somehow he couldn't.

" Ichigo… when do you have to go?" He asked sadly. Ichigo gasped again. She had completely forgotten that she had to go to work on Monday. It was lucky that school was over and her parents wernt in town.

" I uh… soon… I think…" She frowned and looked at the ground. " I don't want to go." She hugged him and suddenly she felt herself disappear from the room.

---

The next thing she saw was a pretty little forest area. Kish smiled at her delighted face.

" I thought it'd be nice for you to come home… but I'm selfish, I want to spend more time with you." Ichigo blushed. She looked at him and smiled.

Ichigo found a nice shady tree where she and Kish could hang out. It was nice having him around on Earth again. She knew that she wouldn't fall out any doors or have anyone prod her here.

" Here Kish!" She called. He appeared right beside her and grabbed her around the waist.

" Cool. That's my little Koneko-Chan. Beautiful spot."

" Oh, so now I'm your Koneko again huh!" She giggled. " Either way you're still Kish!"

" I know" He smirked. " Hey Ichigo, have you realised how much I've had to control myself these past few days?"

" No… what do you mean?" She thought she knew what he meant, but she thought it'd be better to let Kish explain… just incase.

" I've had you so close to me for a while now and it's all been voluntary. When you lay on my bed asleep, I really thought I couldn't control myself. You were lying there hopeless and I… well…" He took a deep breath and spoke again.

" When I let you go before, the truth is, I didn't really want you to fall. I was going to catch you again, but when you held onto me, you can imagine what I wanted to do. I havnt really changed much, but I learnt it would be better if I tried to respect you." Ichigo stood there, her eyes wide open at his confession.

" Wow Kish. Thankyou." She stepped closer to him and placed her arms around him.

" I really like it when you're nice." She was so close to him. Her breath was blowing on his ear. Her heart was beating in time with his.

' Damn it! I've controlled myself so far, Ichigo, sorry!'

He gripped her in embrace and kissed her. She didn't know what to do. She didn't mind him touching her, holding her, kissing her but she was scared of him. He had reacted so suddenly…

Just like two years ago. It was exactly the same

Kish stopped kissing her and pushed her to the ground, his legs straddled to her hips. The impact had hurt ichigo, but before she could say anything, he was ontop of her and kissing her again.

" Kish!" She broke away from him. " Kish, stop it!" He replied by kissing her, but this time he was gentle and stroked her face at the same time. She really started to panic now. He wasn't listening. He just kept attacking her.

" KISH!" She screamed. She started crying again as she felt his weight shift. She felt his face move from hers and it sat on her shoulder. Ichigo stopped crying as she realised Kish wasn't moving. Well, not like he was before. She propped herself up onto her elbows and stedied herself against a tree.

Kish didn't move. She couldn't see his face, which was lying on her shoulder still, but she could imagine what was going on. He was probably trying to control himself again.

She couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as she realised that he wasn't going to attack her like that again. She could understand how he had kept all those feelings inside and he exploded. She didn't know why, and she didn't know how, but she understood. She placed her arm on his back and ran it up and down along his spine.

" Ichigo?" His voice wobbled slightly. He sniffed as he tried his hardest to regain his normal control. " I'm" His voice cracked again. " I'm sorry!" And he broke down. Ichigo was shocked at him. He was crying.

" Kish." Ichigo grabbed his chin and stroked his tears away. He pulled away slightly but she grabbed him again. " Don't cry. I forgive you." He pulled away again and stared at her.

" How? How could you just forgive me so easily. I mean I just…" He looked away.

" Lost control?" Ichigo piped in.

" Yeh." Kish still didn't look at her and he hugged his knees. Ichigo did the same but instead she was staring at him. " Ichigo how can you forgive me at all?"

" Because, I can. It was three kisses. You didn't mean it, I know." Kish blushed and his ears went pink. Ichigo smiled.

" Maybe you did. But you know what?" Kish looked at her and realised how close her face was to his.

" It's ok. Now you've got this off your chest, so you shouldn't do it again."

**8. Home**

" How do you know for sure?" Kish asked sadly. " I don't even know."

" Because Kish." She took a deep breath. " I know you can be kind. I know you can control yourself. I know." Kish wasn't sure which one of them had moved, but their noses were touching. His forehead was pounding but Ichigo's forehead calmed him down.

" Ichigo. Why?" He whispered. He could feel all the emotion in his stomach bubble up again, just like he had felt when he pounced on his precious new friend. Somehow he kept it locked up for a bit longer. There wasn't a chance he was going to hurt her again. He would rather be killed than hurt her again.

" I…"

This was it.

' Ichigo, time to sink or swim!!!'

" Kish I…"

She moved closer to him and her lips brushed his.

" …love you."

Ichigo blushed as her lips met his properly. Kish was surprised, but he didn't move. This time, he wasn't forcing her to kiss him. It was all her. And his insides were squirming. He had confessed before about liking her and now… now she answered him. He was so happy right this moment. Thankgod he didn't pounce on her like he had wanted to.

" Koneko…" He whispered when they broke away. Ichigo was red with embarrasment. Kish was stunned at the recent turn of events. It was a dream come true.

" Don't move." He said, his eyes closed. " I'm going to wake up soon. I just know it. I want to make this last… even a few moments longer will do…"

Ichigo watched him take in the moment. A light breeze brushed his hair out of his face and he was smiling in content.

" I love this dream." He said, as he opened his eyes. He looked at Ichigo sadly as he waited for everything to fade to black. Ichigo blushed and looked away from him, only to lean onto his shoulder. She looked up at his face, which was staring at the distance.

" Kish… you _are_ awake." He snapped his face to face her and saw her chocolate eyes staring at him happily. Ichigo could see the confusion and happiness in his golden eyes.

She just smiled at him again, reassuring him that he wasn't dreaming.

He removed her head from his shoulder and held it in his arms. She didn't stop gazing at him, knowing he was probably going to kiss her.

But he didn't.

Instead he just hugged her tightly, breathing heavily onto her neck. She leaned back a little, to try and find the tree again to lean upon, but instead she missed and fell to the floor.

Kish still held her in his arms, not wanting to let go. Ichigo didn't know whether to lay there like his, hug him or make him get off her. Would he think it would be an invite for him to grope her again? He wasn't moving, just laying there, enjoying the fact Ichigo had finally understood him. Understood his emotions.

" You know, I'm not going to attack you. You can hug me." Kish whispered, sensing Ichigo's hesitations.

She smiled and did as he said, now fully enjoying the moment aswell. The scenery was perfect- a bright spring afternoon under the shade of a sakura tree. Now it was Ichigo who didn't want to wake up.

---

Eventually both Kish and Ichigo let go, looking into eachothers eyes and they realised just how awkward it was.

Kish, an alien, who had used Ichigo as a toy two years ago, had confessed that he never meant to hurt her and he loved her.

Ichigo, the ex-Mew Mew, had understood everything and on top of that forgiven him, not to mention she had answered his feelings and discovered her own.

" Kish?" She asked, not shifting from his gaze.

" Mmm?"

" Take me home please."

**Hi again!**

**Well finally she confessed! FINALLY! Happy Dance! I could imagine it happening this way too… sorry I made Kish go all nuts and stuff…Really, he's being himself, perverted and all, but without much self control.**

**Well, I'll keep updating, so there is probably another chapter for you to read! Enjoy! Please Review!**

**Moonlit-Kris**

**Nyan!**


	3. Mew are back!

**9. The Mew Mew's Back!**

Kish didn't object, he just did as she ordered. He grabbed onto her again, a bit closer than he really needed, and teleported her out the front of her house.

" Come on, my parents arent going to be home for another week." She said, dragging him inside. His hand was entangled in hers but that didn't ease his concern. He'd been inside this house once, when he had visited Ichigo (and attacked her), but that was it, even though he'd landed outside her window and on her roof a million times before.

Now Ichigo was acting like… like they were…

Dating.

Kish liked that thought. He was thinking about this for a while before he realised Ichigo was standing there, staring at him.

" Wow, you're so far away… what're you thinking about?" She quizzed, a playful tone in her voice. Now Kish was taken aback. Never, ever had Ichigo spoken to him with that tone. It reminded Kish of how he used to talk to Ichigo…

" You." He simply stated, knowing that all would be well. Ichigo blushed and turned around again. She tugged on his arm and he followed her into the lounge.

" Well, this is where you'll stay for a little while." She said plainly as possible, knowing that it wasn't much.

" Huh!" Kish gasped slightly, he didn't even THINK Ichigo would leave him alone…

" Without you?"

Ichigo smirked.

" Well you can't exactly take a shower with me." She laughed inside at the expressions on Kish's face. They were so … different. Almost innocent. Almost. " I'm just going to wash up, that's all."

" And why can I NOT go with you?" He asked, placing his arms on her waist. " You know, I could help you--"

" Hentai!" Ichigo screamed, cutting him off. She raised her hand to slap him, but put it down.

' It wouldn't be right… to hit him now… not now that…'

" Aww Ichigo…"

" No. Do not come anywhere NEAR my bathroom until I get out!"

" THEN can I come in?"

" No! Wait until I come out into the lounge."

" Aww… that's no fun." He smirked, knowing that Ichigo could trust him. He flirted with the idea of betraying that trust… but he decided against it. For now anyway. He removed his hands, and she knew that meant she was free to go, he wasn't going to argue. She smiled before walking off.

' Oh boy.' Kish thought, fighting back the urge to follow her. ' This better pay off!' He thought as he lay on the couch, his heart beating fast.

---

Ichigo felt the hot water run down her skin and shivered. It was so inviting… but somehow it didn't feel as warm as an embrace…

' Why… why am I suddenly… liking… him… I mean… he came to see me randomly, I was kidnapped and now… I love him? Even though that's the case…' She finished washing her hair and body and stepped out of the shower. '… it seems a bit… quick.'

As she wrapped the towl around her body, Ichigo noticed something on her leg. Something that she hadnt seen in years.

Something… pink… and in the shape of a love heart.

" NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIII!" She cried in surprise.

Down below, Kish heard her scream.

" What the hell? ICHIGO! ICHIGO!" He ran up the stairs and knocked on the door.

" Ichigo! What's wrong!"

" Kish, go away!"

" You screamed!"

" I know but go away!"

Kish sighed, knowing it wasn't anything urgent… but just incase…

The door opened and before he could see anything, he was hit between the eyes with a bar of soap. He fell back comically and felt the door slam against his feet and heard a small click.

' Damn. I tried.' He said, getting to his feet. He walked down the stairs and was going to go back to his spot on the couch but decided to hide instead. If Ichigo was upset, he'd calm her down for sure. But not before he toyed with her a little.

---

Ichigo stepped down the stairs in a new dress, which had little strawberries all over it. Her hair was still wet and sat on her shoulders. She was looking around for Kish, wanting to apologise, knowing she'd have to tell him what that was all about.

" Kish?" No answer. " Kish where are you?" Still no answer. Ichigo felt alone, the house was silent and she couldn't feel his presence.

' Has he really gone? Did he leave? But… I didn't mean to…' Suddenly a face appeared before hers, only inches separating them. Gold eyes looked into the watery brown ones, which relaxed.

" There you are." She said calmly. " Kish…" She looked at him, her eyebrows nearly touching. If you looked at her, you couldn't tell if she were concerned or angry. Before she could finish her sentence, a finger was on her mouth again. Kish wanted to speak.

" What happened?" He said with maximum concern in his voice. While he was generally concerned about what had happened, as he said, he was also waiting for a chance to kiss her again. Or atleast hold her. Inside he smirked, knowing what he was thinking was wrong. What if something had really scared her? What if something had gone wrong? All he could think about was touching her… kissing her…

" Kish, you need to see this." Ichigo knew that the alien that stood before her would probably take this the wrong way, but she knew she had to show him. She lifted her dress up slightly, until her upper right thigh was showing. Kish's eyes widened.

' What the? What's she doing?' He thought playfully. Somehow he detected this was a serious situation, so he didn't do what he seriously wanted to do…

" Do you know what this means?" Ichigo asked, pointing to a specific spot on the inside of her leg. Kish focused his eyes onto the spot and shook his head.

" Ichigo got a tatoo?" He guessed, not knowing about marks on the Mew Mews.

" No… Kish… I'm a Mew Mew again." There was a waver in her voice as she said this and Kish opened his arms, welcoming the hug he received. Something was wrong, he could tell, and he wanted to help fix it.

" How Ichigo? It's been two years… hasn't it?" He looked down at her and walked her to the couch.

" Well… there was one incident where a new Mew was found… Mew Berii… but she's in France with Tasuku and her grandfather…" Kish looked puzzled, but he kept listening, his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm. " But after that, Ryou told us that the marks would only appear if there was evil on the Earth."

" I see… that could be a bit of a problem…" He said, pulling her into a hug. Kish felt Ichigo's muscles relax and soften.

" Kish… any other time this could happen… why now?" She moved her head up to Kish's and was about to place a kiss on his lips when suddenly…

RING The doorbell.

" What? Now?" Kish asked softly, watching Ichigo get up.

" Disappear…until I get this sorted ok?"

" Who is it?"

" I don't know, but I better do it alone, ya know?" Kish smiled and faded into thin air. Ichigo walked to the front door only to see big brown eyes staring at her.

---

" ICHIGO!!!" Mint's voice echoed through the house, reminding Ichigo how lonely it would have been if Kish hadnt taken her.

" Ichigo- Oneechan!" Pudding jumped up on her, hugging her tightly.

" Ichigo-San? You're ok!" Lettuce bowed and smiled greatly.

" I knew you wouldn't be in trouble, Ichigo." Zakuro stood there, her arms folded but her face relieved.

" Mint…Zakuro…why are you here? I thought you were away!! Lettuce, Pudding! How have you been?"

" You must've noticed by now!" Mint pointed at the forehead of Pudding and, shining a bright gold, was Pudding's Mew Mark. Ichigo nodded, not knowing what this was about really.

" Yeah… So?"

" SO? THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY? SO?" An angry male voice called through the crowd. Ryou Shirogane pushed passed the other Mew Mews and shook Ichigo.

" You girls are Tokyo Mew Mew again! Don't you understand! It means the aliens are back!" He looked at her with eyes full of frustration.

" Apparently, Akasaka-San found traces that proved Kish, Tart and Pai were back on Earth. This could be dangerous." Lettuce interrupted. Suddenly it all made sense and Ichigo started laughing.

" THIS ISNT FUNNY!" Ryou hit her across the cheek, silencing her. " IDIOT! WHY ARENT YOU TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!" He went to hit her again, but a strong hand held him back.

" Don't you _dare_ touch Ichigo like that again."

**10. Welcoming Kish**

" Kish!" Ichigo pulled him back off Ryou and held him back.

" It's Kish!" Pudding pointed at him. " Where's Tart? And why is Ichigo-Oneechan holding his hand?" Ichigo blushed, not noticing the fact his hand was in hers. It was just natural now.

" Ichigo, are you ok?" Kish said, ignoring the fact questions were being fired left and right.

" Yeh… I'll be fine." Kish touched her face and she whinced.

" Ichigo don't lie." But her attention wasn't on Kish anymore. It was on the five angry figures around them.

" What the hell is going on? Why…how can you stand there with him without realising he's the enemy!?" Ryou was furious now. Kish held Ichigo close, not caring what he thought, he just wanted to make sure he couldn't hurt Ichigo.

" He's not the enemy!" Ichigo cried. " I know this! He's here on holiday! So's Pai! And Tart!"

Pudidng's face lit up a little but a sharp look from Mint shut her down.

" You…believe that crap!?" Mint stepped forward and stared into Kish's deep yellow eyes, looking for a lie.

" Yeh, as a matter of fact, I do. Kish is my friend. I trust him. Let that be enough for you!"

" Ichigo…" Zakuro stepped beside Mint. " He's done something to you. We're sorry." She looked at the other girls and nodded.

" MEW MEW ZAKURO!"

" MEW MEW MINT!"

" MEW MEW PUDDING!"

" MEW MEW LETTUCE!"

" METAMORPHOSIS!"

The four girls flashed in their signature colours and where Ichigo's friends once stood were the four Mew Mews. Ichigo felt Kish hold her tighter.

" Let go of her!" Mew Mint yelled, releasing a Mint Arrow. Kish pushed Ichigo away and was hit by the beam of energy. Ichigo felt something around her waist and turned around to see Mew Zakuro tie her up with her whip.

" LET ME GO!" She screamed, her arms reaching for Kish. He started to walk towards Ichigo but Mew Lettuce's attack hit him back. Ichigo broke free of Mew Zakuro's whip, only to be hit in the back by it. She slammed against the wall, her shoulder cracking as came in contact.

" Ichigo!" Kish yelled and stood up. Lettuce hit him again, causing him to also hit the wall Ichigo did. He reached over and grabbed her hand. He could hear the other Mew Mews charging up and he saw a familiar purple whip fly towards Ichigo. He jumped over her and quickly teleported them both to his ship.

" SHIT!" Ryou cursed, punching the wall. " They're gone."

" Was Kish telling the truth?" Lettuce inquired, noticing the way he had protected Ichigo.

" I don't know anymore." Ryou said, containing his frustrations. " Let's go, we didn't make too much of a mess here. We'll find her." The Mew Mews detransformed and walked away with Ryou.

---

Meanwhile, on Kish's ship, Ichigo and Kish had appeared on the black bed. Ichigo was in pain. Kish was ontop of her, like he had been in her house. He looked down at her and saw that her face was red with both blood and the slap mark Ryou had left.

" Kish…" A deep voice entered the room. " Do you mind if I…" Pai cut off when he saw the position they were in. " Whoops… am I interupting something?" He smirked. " Couldn't help yourself then Kish?" He laughed and Kish got up.

" Pai… make yourself useful and get some wet towels and a bandage." He said, not even looking at Pai. His eyes were glued on Ichigo. She was staring at the wall, not wanting to move for fear of hurting her neck.

" What?"

" I said get some wet towels and a bandage. NOW." Kish raised his voice and looked over to Pai. He nodded and walked outside.

" Kish!"

" Hai?" He sat down and stared at Ichigo's face and neck. Even though they were sore, they were still elegant. His hand brushed over them slightly, making sure there wernt any bones poking out or anything broken at all. He couldn't feel anything, but Ichigo was whincing under his touch.

" Thankyou." She said, smiling, now facing him. He kneeled down on the ground, his eyes staring into hers. She closed her eyes and felt Kish lightly brush her lips with his, but Pai entered the room.

" Do you still need these?"

---

Kish bandaged Ichigo up and she was starting to feel a bit better.

" How are you feeling Ichigo?" He asked, wringing a wet towel to wipe the dried up blood from her face.

" Better… Thankyou Kish. I hope you can forgive everyone… I'll talk to them later…" Kish's face dropped.

" You're saying you're going to go back to those who made you like this?" He pointed at her sore arm and her grazed face.

" Yeh… I mean, I forgive them. It's unfortuant they don't see it our way now… but they will." She smiled. " I promise. It'll be ok." Kish looked into her eyes and smiled slightly.

" Alright Koneko-Chan. I trust you." He smiled and Ichigo sat up. It hurt, but she didn't care. She bent forward and whispered into his ear.

" I love it when you call me that." She kissed his cheek and gave him a one-armed hug. He kissed the top of her forehead where she wasn't grazed. It was moments like these Kish wished he could go back in time and change the past so this would happen sooner. But atleast it was happening now. Atleast they were happy.

" How about you stay here for a little while, until they settle down and your wounds heal? We could think of a plan to make sure they don't attack again and then…" His voice trailed off, thinking about what _would_ happen. When Ichigo's holiday was over, what then? Would Ichigo still love him? Would he leave? Would he have to live on Earth?

" I agree. Thanks a lot Kish." Ichigo stood up, using Kish to balance herself. " I reckon I better head home now though and get my stuff, who knows how long it'll take for me to heal."

" Yeh… come on I'll take you." Kish held onto her gently and they disappeared.

---

When the arrived in Ichigo's room (yes, Kish had had lots of practice landing here), She gathered a small bag with clothes and her toothbrush in it, as well as other necessary toiletries. Kish watched her run around the house (even though it wasn't really running, considering her condition) and gather everything possible.

" You know, the kitchen sink might just fit…" He snorted sarcastically when Ichigo returned with everything she "needed".

" I suppose, maybe I over packed… but most of it is clothing! And a blanket." Kish shook his head.

" Ok then, are we ready to leave? What about your parents?" Ichigo stopped.

" I got a call from them… maybe I'll take my phone to call them tomorrow. They won't be back for another week, because they're out on some work thing…" Kish sighed.

" Seems like a lot for a 15 year old to go through, living alone for a week."

" Yeh, but I would have survived." Ichigo smiled. " Let's go!"

**11. The Plan**

When they arrived back in Kish's room, Ichigo seemed to be in higher spirits. She was walking around happier and she didn't seem to notice her injuries as much. What had made her happy was the fact Kish…

' He's here for me,when no one else is. I ought to thank him… but havnt I done everything I can?' Ichigo pondered, sitting down on the bed she had grown accustomed to. She didn't notice Kish staring at her, or when he sat next to her. She was thinking too hard.

" Yo, Koneko-Chan? What's wrong?" Kish asked, his eyes glittering like gold, trying to read her mind. Aliens could sometimes do that, but only sometimes. Unfortuantly, this was not that time.

" Oh! Uh…" Ichigo snapped back to reality and saw Kish's expression. " It's nothing serious!! I'm just thinking is all!" She smiled, but it wasn't totally convincing.

" Ichigo, are you homesick?" Kish asked, noticing the sadness in her eyes.

' No, I want to know how to repay you.'

" No! No it's fine! Kish…" She turned to face him and grabbed his hand. " Thankyou. I'm just wondering… how can I ever repay you?" Kish jumped back and stared at Ichigo.

" For what? I mean I… That is… Anou… " He blushed, obviously playing with an idea in his head, but he let it go. " There's nothing. You've really done everything you can." He didn't sit back down with her, he stood there, in that same spot.

' How come I can't ask her this little thing, and yet I can declare my love for her and kiss her without a goddamned second thought!?'

Ichigo noticed the fact he was arguing with himself again. He did that quite often. She stood up and walked over to him and hugged him with the one good arm she had. Her head was softly sitting on his chest and she could hear his heart beat.

_Thump. Thump. Thumpthump. Thumpthumpthump._

" Ichigo?"

" Mmnh?"

" Arigatou." He placed his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Ichigo felt pain sear through her wounds as he stretched her skin, but she didn't tell him. She could tell he wanted to say something more.

" But… I have something to ask you." He pulled away and shrugged his shoulders.

" What happens… when you heal? What happens when you go back to Earth? What'll happen…" He placed his arms back around her. "…To us?" Ichigo felt her cheeks burn as she thought about this idea. She was enjoying her time with Kish, her ex-enemy, but to what cost?

" I don't know." She said, her voice waverying slightly. " I hope we figure this out." She chocked on her tears and Kish bent down and kissed her. She calmed down, enjoying the fact that his touch was powerful enough to calm her down. He broke away soon after and scooped her up.

" What're you doing Kish?"

" I…don't know." He chuckled, realising he did this act out a subconcious desire that had crept into his mind before. He laughed it off and placed her on his bed.

" I'm going to have a bath now." He said, not looking at her. He needed to think. He needed to devise a plan. He needed to be with Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded, and sat there on the bed for a long time.

---

' Wow, Kish has been bathing for a while… what's he thinking?' She blushed, hoping it was her.

" Ichigo!" She heard her name called and was startled.

" Kish?"

" Yeh, come in here, I think I have an idea!"

" Can't you wait until you come out!"

" No, I need to talk to you now!"

" Kish! But you're…"

" Ichigo, if it matters that much to you, I'll have my back to you.

" Fine!" Ichigo opened the door with her hand over her eyes and peeked in. Kish had stayed true to his word, and turned around. All she could see was the back of his head, his lovely emerald hair and his back. She sat down on a small stool (' Why does he keep a stool in his bathroom?') and sighed.

" What's your plan?" She asked, hiding the fact she was blushing from him. " You said you had something important to say?"

" Alright… well…" Kish turned around, but only his shoulders were visible from Ichigo's point of view.

" What if I lived on Earth? As a human? As…" he let his sentence drift off, before finding the courage to ask her. " Your boyfriend?"

Ichigo gasped lightly, knowing that he had thought of this for a while. Sure, it was a simple idea, and an idea she had thought of a few times herself, but…

" Kish…are you really willing to leave your planet, your friends, everything, so you could live on Earth?" He nodded.

" Yeh… I know it seems a lot but to me it's nothing. I could ask Pai to change my appearance, so I would look like a human, and then… then I could be with you."

" I'm flattered Kish. But your idea may or may not work. The other Mew Mews would take a while to accept you, and as long as your around, we have our powers."

" So I guess you _don't_ want me to live with you on Earth?"

" It's not that!"

" Then why are you thinking of excuses?" His voice sounded hurt.

" I just want everything to be OK. I don't want this to backfire." She smiled reassuringly at him. " And yes, I will be your girlfriend."

" Yes!" Kish laughed with happiness, splashing around a little and Ichigo got wet.

" You idiot." She laughed blocking herself from the water.

" Anyway, I'll finish off here and you can have a bath."

" No way." Ichigo stood up and walked over to him and grabbed a part of his hair, her eyes staring right into his head. She didn't want any unwanted views.

" Don't you ever wash your hair? I'm not letting you get out until you wash it!"

" But I don't wanna!" He said in a mocking baby voice.

" Fine! I'll wash it! Rule number one about being a human, _hygine!_" Ichigo pulled the stool closer and ran her fingers through his green hair again. " So where is your shampoo?"

" Uhmn…I think it's in that cupboard." He pointed to a small white cupboard under the sink. Ichigo walked over to it and opened it. There was nothing in it.

" Are you sure?"

" Oh!" He laughed. " I am an idiot. I forgot to bring it!"

**12. Washing Kish's Hair**

" I'll have to use my stuff then, because _someone_ was an idiot!" She went out and grabbed her strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner.

" What! I'll smell like a girl!" Kish complained when Ichigo returned.

" What, don't you like the way I smell?" She asked, her eyes narrowing and her arm on her hip.

" Oh no Koneko-Chan, I love the way _you_ smell!" She looked down at him but laughed. He looked so innocent. Almost. But he always had that playful glint in his eye that made him _not_ so innocent.

" Whatever. Ok, Kish, untie your hair and dunk it in the water, then turn around." He did as he was told and he felt Ichigo's stare at the back of his head.

" Alrighty…" She took some shampoo and started to massage it into his hair. He could feel her slender fingers twist his hair around as she ran the suds through his hair. While she did this, Kish started talking again.

" Wow, I didn't expect this!" He said, talking about the massage.

" You know, your idea could have waited. I still have to heal first. I didn't have to come in here and talk to you." Ichigo said, knowing he had planned this.

" Yeh I know. I just wanted to see you and talk to you again. I missed you!"

" It was ten minutes or so Kish. How did you ever last two years!"

" I don't know… but I guess I always thought you'd reject me, or atleast you had, so there was no point. Now we're…" he stumbled upon the next words. Finally, he chose some that wasn't too good or too bad.

" …Good friends, I never want to leave your side. I never wanted to, but I thought I had to."

He could feel all the tension in his head slip away as Ichigo kept massaging his head.

" I see… I never really understood how much you cared. You told me all the time, you always tried to convince me to go with you, and yet… I was preoccupied by Aoyama-kun." Her voice wavered off again, her thoughts filled with the past.

" You called him Aoyama instead of Masaya. I guess you're over him now?"

" Yeh. It took a while. And when you visited me again, a few days ago, I remembered Aoyama-kun because it was always a fight in my heart between you both on that final day. Aoyama-kun was trying to kill me and you protected me. It tore me apart."

" So why didn't you ever join me, or return my emotions?"

" I don't know. I guess you used to force me for everything and you were a perverted freak that scared me. You still are, by the way, a bit of a pervert!"

" You know Ichigo, I'm not the one interupting someone elses bath!" Kish teased, sitting up a bit higher.

" Grr. Whatever. Dunk." She commanded, pushing his head down. She washed the soapy suds out of his hair and he came back up gasping.

" Give me warning next time!!" He complained again. When Ichigo was nice, it was fun to complain.

" Ok ok. I'll run some conditioner through your hair next and then I'll be out of here!" Kish sighed, knowing she'd eventually have to leave.

" Fine fine fine. Yo Ichigo, do you need me to wash your hair? Wouldn't it be nice if I could return this kind favour?"

" NO!" Ichigo yelled, knowing the tone in his voice. Now he wasn't innocent. " I told you you're perverted!"

" Fine. You know, it's no fun waiting."

" Well I'll be quick then." Ichigo knew he'd try find a way in. It was just so Kish. They sat in silence for a little while as Ichigo ran her conditioner through his green hair.

" It'll have to sit for a while…" she mumbled. Without knowing what she was doing, she dunked her hands into the bath, scaring a relaxed Kish.

" I'm cleaning the conditioner off!" She blurted, realising what it seemed like.

" Sure you are. You can't help yourself!" Kish laughed.

" Fine. I won't give you a shoulder massage then!"

" I'll be good!" Kish squeeled. Ichigo smiled. She knew that Kish was also injured in the Mew Mew attack, but unlike Ichigo, didn't show any visible signs except the fact his whole body was exhausted.

She pushed her thumbs into his shoulders and was shocked to feel so much muscle there.

" Wow…" She mumbled again, as her hands travelled across his back. Kish was enjoying this and it was now he really wished he had tried the nice approach years ago. Ichigo finished her little massage and grabbed the sides of his face.

" Ready?" She slowly pushed his head underwater and washed the conditioner out. By now the water was a light pink in colour.

" Wow that felt good!" Kish laughed as he rose from the water. Ichigo was blushing heavily as she realised exactly what she'd done.

" I-I'll let you get out!" She raced out of the room and jumped on the bed, sending her bag flying.

' What the hell made me do that? I guess it's ok now…' she sighed and buried her head in her arms.

**Alright, this is, now chapters 9 through 12! I've read a few good stories about bathtime trouble between these two, and I decided I wanted to write my own sort of interpretation. Lol! So if you notice that there is similarities, IM SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO STEAL!**

**Well, I'm off to update again! I think I'll have "5" Chapters up by the end of tonight. So that's about… chapters 1 through… 20. Yeah. Lol that's nearly the whole story! Ah well, I'll do that then!Chow!**

**Moonlit-Kris**


	4. Loved and Missing

**13. That night**

Kish came out minutes later, dressed in what seemed like his night clothes. Ichigo realised he hadnt washed since he took her and had worn the same clothing to bed. His shirt was black and very baggy and his shorts were very similar to his others, but they were also black and made of silk.

" Your turn Ichigo!" Ichigo snapped out of her little trance, blushing as she tried to hide the fact she was staring at him. He was rubbing his hair, trying to dry it out.

" I'll be quick." She stuttered as she ran into the bathroom, forgetting her bag with her night clothes. Kish noticed this and grabbed it, a plan devising in his evil little head.

---

Ichigo didn't realise she had forgotten her bag and undressed and hopped into the bath that Kish had set for her. It was warm and had various little rose petals floating in it. She smiled, knowing that he had truly changed. She washed her hair quickly and got out as soon as possible. She didn't want Kish to barge in like he had mentioned.

Kish waited until he heard the running of the water leave the bath. He heard Ichigo step out of the bath and grab a towel. She was softly humming to herself as she dried off, only to finally realise her bag wasn't there.

" Where is it?" She whispered to herself.

" You alright in there?" Kish yelled, knowing exactly what was going on.

" Yeh, I just don't have my bag in here. Do you mind passing it to me?"

" Sure." He opened the door slightly and shoved the little bag inside. Ichigo grabbed onto the bag only to see Kish walk in. She dropped the bag and stepped back, tightning her towel as she did.

" PERVERT! GET OUT!"

" Aww." He stepped closer and put his arm on her shoulder.

" GET OUT!" Ichigo was mad now.

" Come on Koneko-Chan, you don't need to hide anything from me."

" I think you better go. _Now_."

" Oh, you're such a party pooper Koneko-Chan. Alright. I'll go." He sighed and walked out the door. He suddenly poked his head through and winked. " But I have a surprise for you when you get out."

Ichigo quickly got dressed so that, in the unlikely event that Kish came back in, she was atleast descent. She stepped out of the bathroom, her bag in her hand and saw Kish standing next to his desk.

" You hungry kitty?" He motioned towards the desk, which had many dishes upon it. Ichigo couldn't identify some of them, but they smelt delicious.

" Yah! Thanks!" She walked over to the desk and Kish served her up some food. It was green and white, like a soup, with some vegetables on the side. He also handed her a drink, which was pink in colour.

" Is this alchohol?" Kish looked offended at the idea.

" What do you take me as? Of course it's not alchohol! It's some sort of soda. I thought you'd like it, since it's pink. You always wear pink don't you?" He pointed at her baggy pink night shirt and her long dark pink pants.

" Well, excuse me! Why do you always wear black?" Kish shrugged.

" I dunno. One of the only colours I've got. I like black. You know, I reckon it'd suit you!" He laughed and sat down on one chair, and patted the one next to him.

" Come on, sit." She did as he said and took a sip of the soup. It was warm and tasted like chicken, salt and potatoes.

" I made this, so it may not be as good as you'd expect, but I tried."

" No! It's really good. I like it! Thanks Kish!" Ichigo smiled and watched as Kish ate some of his soup. She never noticed how delicately he ate. He looked over at Ichigo and saw her staring at him.

" What, jealous of the spoon?" He laughed and put it down. " I swear, she means nothing to me!" Ichigo burst out laughing. His joke wasn't exactly funny, but it was one of the first jokes she'd ever heard him make. She shook her head, giggled and he smiled. This was one image Kish never imagined. He and Ichigo, sitting down, eating, laughing and enjoying themselves.

---

" Koneko-Chan?" Kish asked a little while later after they had both finished eating. " Did that count as… a date?" Ichigo blushed a little and thought about it.

" I suppose it did."

" Our first date?"

" I dunno. We've been _out_ before, but I suppose this could be our first official date. Why do you ask? What's it mean to you?" She couldn't tell where this question was going, and it wasn't like Kish to ask such questions.

" Nothing much."

" It's a strange date though, we're both in our pajamas eating off your study desk… but none the less." She sighed and lay down on the bed, ready to fall asleep.

" Koneko-Chan? Is there a rule about kissing on the first date?" Ichigo sat up again and looked at him like he was crazy.

" Are you asking permission? Hasn't stopped you before!" She laughed but suddenly felt him close to her again. She looked into his golden eyes and got lost.

" I guess you're right. I thought it'd be nice to ask." He bent down and kissed her. Ichigo didn't know why, but when he did, it felt like everything was alright in the world. It felt like he was never the enemy.

She placed both her arms around him and felt his tounge against her teeth. She opened them a little and she could feel his tounge slip in deeper, pushing against her own. It was now Ichigo realised how delicate he was with her. His arm started rubbing up and down her back. She pulled away, realising that if she kept this up, she didn't know what boundries he'd push.

" Well, there's our first date kiss." He smiled and ran his finger down her left shoulder, stopping at her arm.

" I guess it's feeling a bit better? I was hoping it wasn't broken." Ichigo nodded and moved it above her head, then put it down again.

" Yeh, it's healing a lot quicker than I thought. It must be because I'm finally resting here…" She sighed happily and buried her head into his chest.

" I'm glad… I'm glad you're finally mine Koneko-Chan… you mean so much to me. I love you Koneko-Chan."

" I never thought I'd ever, ever say it, but I love you too. You don't freak me out anymore. You've become so much to me." She sighed and played with his hair.

" It feels so soft now… good thing I washed it for you!" Ichigo smiled and sat up off his chest and lay back on the bed. " God I'm tired! How come it's only taken me a day to heal?" Kish lay next to her and stroked her forehead.

" I confess, I put some magic medicine in your bath so you'd feel better. That's why you're tired."

" Arigatou…" Ichigo mumbled and she wrapped her arms around him. She was so tired, she didn't care anymore. She would kick him if he tried anything, but all he did was pull her closer and lay there, still as night. She heard his heart beat, and she could feel herself fall to sleep…

**14. Real Intentions**

Ichigo awoke the next morning and felt Kish stroke her cheek slightly. She was still tired and closed her eyes again, ready to go back to sleep.

" Wake up Koneko-Chan…" Kish whispered slightly, running his finger along her jaw line.

" Mhnn…no…" She whispered. Her arms were still around his waist, but she didn't notice, nor did he care.

"Come on Koneko-Chan. I'll kiss you if you don't get up!" Kish threatened, only to realise Ichigo was alseep.

" You asked for it!" He stated before kissing her on the lips. Her eyes fluttered open and she returned the kiss. She moved her hands up his back and hugged him tight. Her arm felt so much better now and it was all thanks to him. Kish broke away slowly and sat up, pulling Ichigo up with him.

" There we go… ohayo gozaimasu !" He said, patting her head. " I told you I'd kiss you, I warned you!" Ichigo smiled and didn't let go.

" Ohayo… wow I slept good! What'd you do to me!" Kish shook his head innocently.

" Nothing my Koneko-Chan! I know you had a good sleep, you didn't stir once!" Ichigo looked confused.

" How would you know? What do you mean 'stir'? From what?"

" Well, for the past two nights you've woken me up by crying or moaning… it didn't last long but you still did. But last night you didn't."

Ichigo looked up at him and saw his concern. It made her laugh. Something was totally different about him. These past few days she had started to see a new side to him that she really liked. He was kind, gentle, still perverted but not as much and to top it off he was smiling more often. She felt clingy to him now, like she had to Masaya a few years ago.

" I guess…" She closed her eyes again and lay her head on Kish's shoulder. She felt his arms snake around her hips and she sighed again.

" I would have never imagined this…" She whispered. " I never thought that you…"

" I know. It's like a dream. You've shocked me Ichigo, I thought you'd try escape earlier, I thought you'd fight to get out, I thought so much and I was wrong." He smiled and kissed her hair.

" You too… you changed for me… you changed so I'd like you even though all along I felt attracted to you… when you stole me away you took away all my fears and hurt, all I want to do is repay the favour." Ichigo didn't move. Her arms were firmly around his back, his arms around her waist and her head on his shoulder. It was so perfect.

" So far, everything is repayed." Kish replied, kissing her head again. She moved her head up a little and he bent his down to level hers.

" May I?" Ichigo replied with a small moan and she felt him kiss her. There was so much passion in his kisses, so much longing that Ichigo never realised. Masaya's kisses were plain. Nothing like this.

" I swear you keep scaring me Kish. You're so gentle… you never were before… I really like you now! Yes, you're an alien, but hey, I still love ya." She giggled and hugged him tighter.

" Good! It's lonely loving someone but not having the love returned… You know, I keep wanting to kick myself. If I could have been more gentle before, if I was once considerate of you… maybe now…" He pondered a bit more, wanting to say the right things.

" I don't know, but this would have happened ages ago."

" Yeah… I like you gentle… it makes me feel safe… and not a target!"

" Oh you'll always be a target when you arent here with me."

" Trust me I'm not going to leave you… I don't like being a target…" She sighed again, wanting to go back to sleep. " I'm glad you came on vacation…"

---

Kish squirmed around, uncomfortable for a minute. It didn't seem fair to lie, especially now.

" Koneko-Chan…I have to admit something to you…" He sighed deeply. " I'm not here on vacation. Truth is I was exiled… " He took his arms off her, ready for her to try get away. But she didn't.

" I see… so you've lied to me this whole time?" Her voice was even.

" Yes." Kish looked down at her, her head still on his shoulder and her arms around his back.

" I suppose now I understand why you came to find me… you need somewhere to stay… that's also why you wanted to become my boyfriend… so you'd have an excuse to come to Earth… " Her voice was still even, with no tone or anything of the sort.

" Yes and no." Kish re-placed his hands on her waist. She didn't move. " You're right, I do need a place to stay, but I really do love you Ichigo. I always have. You're my Koneko-Chan. " Ichigo sat there motionless.

" Kish, why did you lie in the first place? And why didn't you come back earlier?"

" Because I wasn't sure if you'd ever want me back here on Earth…" He hugged her tighter and she also tightened her grip on him. He was so happy that she wasn't angry.

" And there was a law on my planet, saying I had two years to kill that who killed Deep Blue. I was due to kill you the day I found you again. Now I'm exiled."

" Kish you really are stupid if you denied yourself a home to save my life… not that I'm complaining but still…" She sighed and moved her head slightly so her mouth was facing his ear. She whispered into it lowly.

" I love you." She moved up and started kissing him slowly. Somehow she knew he wasn't on vacation from the start. But she didn't really care all too much. He returned her kiss, slowly and carefully, like it was their last. His hands moved up slightly and hers did too. This had happened once before, but Ichigo had broken away by now, not wanting to go any further. Somehow, she knew that now was right…

Kish's mind was in turmoil. He didn't really know what was going on. It was like Ichigo and him were leaving eachother, they wanted to make this last forever. He could feel her heart beat from her back and he was sure she could feel his. He might have imagined it, but did she start moaning? He knew that he should break away now, so they didn't go ahead any more than they really needed… besides, she was still a child, even if he wasn't.

" Koneko." He pulled away and let go of her. She slowly let go of him and stood up.

" Kish I'm sorry! Oh wow that was so…"

" Nice?" He said, smirking.

" I was gonna say out of character, for me anyway! Anyway, how about we start making breakfast or something?" She was red. No doubt about it. But on the inside, she was longing for Kish's lips again…

" Alrighty then…" He stepped out of the bed and stretched a little. He was confused. Ichigo usually didn't like kissing him for too long, even recently! Not that he minded at all. But why the sudden urge? He grinned on the inside, and the smirk made it's way to his face.

' Oh yeh she wants me.' He laughed and Ichigo faced him like he was nuts.

" What are you laughing for?"

" Oh nothing darling." He cringed a little, waiting for her to explode at his newly found nickname for her. But she just stepped closer.

" Oh? So now I'm not a kitten?" She looked at him, her eyes playful.

" You're always my Koneko-Chan." He placed his hands firmly on the front of her hips, startling her. He was acting perverted again. Ichigo played along.

" Get off me." She said, half heartedly.

" No…" He bent down and placed his mouth on her neck. Ichigo felt shivers go down her spine. He moved up and found her lips. Ichigo sighed. He knew what she wanted. Even if she didn't. They finished their kiss and Kish started making the bed. Ichigo found her bag and picked out some clothes.

" I'm just going to get changed." She said before heading towards the bathroom. Kish watched her go and smiled happily. Never could he have imagined that he and Ichigo would get so close. He sighed again. When Ichigo came out he also got changed.

" Well let's go get some breakfast!"

**15. Back On Earth**

" Here we are Koneko-Chan!" Kish had finished preparing their breakfast. Ichigo was staring around at the advanced cooking equipment . She kept laughing as she watched Kish concentrate as he made the pancakes and piklets. He seemed more human than ever now.

" Thanks Kish!"

" You say that so often now!" He laughed and pet her on the head. Suddenly a high pitched tune started ringing…

" Oh my god my parents!" Ichigo pulled her phone from her pocket and opened it.

" Moshi Moshi. Dad! Hai, Hai, I'm fine, It's ok, I'm…" She looked over at Kish. " … At a friends place… No not Miwa's… not Moe's… It's a new friend I met a little while ago… yes yes dad I'm fine! Ok I'll see you on Wednesday. Love you too, bye!"

" Sorry about that Kish, I forgot that my parents are gonna call every now and again." She smiled and sat down again next to Kish.

" Aww that's ok. But since when am I just 'a friend'? That hurt." Ichigo couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

" Kish! You know I love you. But this is my father we're talking about. If I told him where I was, or who you were, he'd go nuts! I had to lie…" Kish laughed.

" That's alright Koneko-Chan." He held her hand and smiled. " Maybe we should go back to Earth… settle everything before school starts and before you have to face your parents again."

" Yeh! I'll visit the Mew Mews and explain everything the best I can. You can come along too… I think you need to." She gripped his hand tighter and put her head on his shoulder… her favourite resting place.

" Hai. Should we leave now?" Kish startled Ichigo. " I want us to be together properly as soon as possible… is now ok?"

" Sure is!"

Ichigo ran into Café Mew Mew, Kish slowly floating behind her, hiding in the shadows as to not set off an attack.

" Minna! I'm back!" Ichigo felt six sets of eyes stare at her, then several arms reach in and hug her.

" Ichigo-Oneechan! You're safe!"

" Ichigo-San! Thank goodness! We thought Kish would hurt you!"

" Quite the opposite really, hey Koneko-Chan?" Kish floated into the room and stood in the doorway.

" Kish!" Everyone gasped. Ichigo laughed and took a step back.

" Well I don't think introductions are needed here… but please, no more attacking. No-one is here to fight, am I right?" She looked over to Kish who nodded whole-heartedly and then over to the Mew Mews and the other two males. They were staring at Ichigo like she was mad.

" You've got nerve to appear here Kish." Zakuro spoke lowly and intimidatingly. " Once again you've somehow warped Ichigo's memory…"

" No No! Zakuro-san, you've got it all wrong!" Ichigo stepped forward again and bowed. " Please, everyone, don't take this the wrong way! We just want to talk. To make some arrangements." She beckoned Kish closer and he walked towards Ichigo, stopping right next to her.

" Ichigo's right. Please." If this wasn't such a serious situation, everyone would have burst out laughing when Kish actually said 'Please'.

" How do we know that you won't attack us Kish?" Ryou stepped forward, obviously contemplating the idea of having a conversation with Kish. Mainly because Ichigo appeared unharmed.

" I promise. I promised Ichigo I wouldn't hurt anyone. I won't back out of a promise to Ichigo." He smiled down at her and Ichigo smiled back. Ryou sighed impatiently and sat down. The four Mew Mews followed and sat around a large table.

" I'll go boil some tea for everyone." Keiichirou stated before going into the kitchen again. Ichigo and Kish took a seat.

" Ichigo, are you really all right? Are you sure you're even Ichigo?" Minto piped up. Ichigo nodded.

" Yup! It's me! And I'm fine, if not for a few bruises here and there."

" How'd that happen?" Lettuce asked, pointing to Ichigo's left cheek. Ichigo placed a hand over it and glared at Ryou.

" Blondie over there slapped me last time we met, remember?" Kish put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder and whispered in her ear.

" Don't get too worked up Ichigo, stay calm ok?"

" Ok."

---

" So why exactly are you here?" Ryou said, still obviously pissed off and impatient.

" Two years ago I was here with Deep Blue to gain control over the Earth. But on the last day we were here, Ichigo killed Deep Blue and we left. When Pai, Tart and I arrived back home, everyone blamed me for Deep Blue's death, as I was the person origionally incharge of this mission. I was given two years to come back to Earth and kill she who killed our leader. But I couldn't. I couldn't kill Ichigo."

" Then why did you approach her?" Ryou's voice had become normal again. It was obvious he found this interesting.

" I wanted to see her again before I was exicuted. But, so it happens, Pai had other ideas. He knocked her out during an encounter and brought her back to our ship to kill her."

" Kish protected me!" Ichigo piped up. " He stopped Pai and took care of me! Once the two year limit had expired, unless Kish wanted to be exicuted, he was exiled from his planet. He's stuck here on Earth. That's the reason I've been staying with him. At first, it was because I didn't want to come back. I don't know, I needed a break. It's been two years since I last saw Aoyama-kun, I was sick of work and my parents were away. But he brought me home again, then you guys attacked us. He took me back to his ship and helped me heal."

" And here we are then." Zakuro sighed. She was reknown for her ability to see the truth and she could tell with ease that this was no lie. Ichigo and Kish nodded.

" Where is Taru-Taru? Is he here too? Is he exiled to Earth too na no da?" Pudding started bouncing around.

" Hai, Tart is also exiled, and so is Pai. At the moment, we are living on our ship that I sort of stole as we left." Kish smirked a little.

" So you need a place to stay once they take the ship away again?" Lettuce guessed. Kish nodded.

" I don't think it'll be easy, finding you three a place to stay. I mean, we all live with our families still. They would find it suspicious if suddenly an alien, or three, started haning around. And you can't live outside. So that really leaves one place…" Mint smirked and looked at Ryou.

" Oh no…"

" It's ok, we could all live outside somewhere, we just need to know we can stay here on Earth, with the protector's permission."

" You are NOT staying outside Kish! You'd become ill!" Ichigo shook her head. " I won't let you."

" Aww thanks Koneko-Chan." Kish pet her head lightly, only to be interupted by Ryou clearing his throat.

" So you're suggesting that I have three aliens stay here, at the café? Mint that's nuts."

" Not quite, Shirogane-San. If they still have a ship, who knows when it would have to happen? It could be years from now. It may never even happen. Please, Shirogane-San, see reason. It's obvious that neither Kish-san, Pai-san or Tart-san are here to harm us. It's obvious Kish-san is fond of Ichigo-san enough to not let any harm come to her. You remember the fight at Ichigo's house. You remember what happened."

Lettuce's words struck Ryou. Somehow Lettuce always made people see reason. Even though it helped a little that Ryou was quite fond of the green-haired Mew Mew.

" Hai… you're right Lettuce. If it never happens, then that's great. If it does, I'm sure I'll find room here in the café to hide out three exiled aliens." Kish bowed in his seat.

" Arigatou, Shirogane." Now everyone laughed. Kish was so serious. It was hilarious. Ichigo put her arms around him and hugged him tight, whispering a thankyou into his ear.

" I agree, thankyou Ryou! Thankyou everyone!"

**16. Where's Kish?**

After some nice tea, brewed by Keiichirou, the Mew Mews and Ichigo parted ways again. Ichigo was going to start work again in three days (Monday), and Kish was allowed to hang around, as long as he acted and looked normal. The Mew Mews had actually started to take a liking to the new Kish, now that he wasn't trying to attack them. He had kept a firm grip on Ichigo, holding her hand or having his arm around her waist or shoulder for most of the time after the meeting. It was a little strange, but the group took it well.

" Well, I better get home and make sure everything is all neat and tidy! My parents will be home in a few days and I don't think I'll do much housework!"

" I'll come along too, considering some of the mess might be my own." Kish offered, a hint of playfulness in his voice. Ichigo brushed it aside.

" Well, that's fine. We'll see you on Monday, ok Ichigo?"

" Bye! Say hi to Taru-Taru and Pai for us na no da!"

" Bye Ichigo!"

" Bye Bye everyone!"

Ichigo and Kish walked away in silence, holding hands. After a while though Ichigo broke the silence.

" I'm so happy they are letting you stay Kish! If they didn't, I swear, I would have quit and---" Kish placed his finger on her lips again, silencing her.

" Shh… Koneko-Chan, don't work yourself up! I'm glad aswell. This means I get to spend a lot more time with you! Plus, now we're official hey?" He bent down and gave her a small kiss. Ichigo beamed and continued walking until they reached her house.

" Here we go, back home!" Ichigo found her key and opened her door. The house was exactly like she had left it, except for the dent in the wall where the attack had taken place. She sighed and found the vacuum and started cleaning. Kish floated around, not wanting to get in her way.

" What can I do?"

" Oh! I know! Go back to the ship! I forgot to grab all my stuff! Haha I'm a ditz huh?" Kish floated down and turned off the vacuum.

" You're not a ditz Koneko-Chan."

---

The time kept ticking by.

Ten minutes… 

_Twenty minutes…_

_Half an hour…_

_An hour…_

Ichigo started worrying.

" What is taking him so long? It shouldn't take this long! I've already vacuumed, moped, cleaned the dishes, done the laundry and everything else! Where is he? Kish?"

Ichigo sat down on her bed and stared at her window. She was sure he was ok, but he wasn't there. Suddenly Ichigo heard a knock at the door. Assuming it was Kish, she ran downstairs and opened the door, muttering

" You know you don't have to kno---"

" Konnichiwa, Ichigo-san." Dark eyes stared into Ichigo's chocolate ones.

" A-A-Aoyama-Kun!"

**I realise now how short some of my chapters are! That's why there're 4-in-1!**

**OH MY GOD! MASAYA AOYAMA'S BACK!**

**Dun dun dun!**

**And where the heck is Kish?**

**These answers will be known in…**

**THE NEXT CHAPTER…s…  
(Aka Read on!) Nyan!**

**And please review!**

**Moonlit-Kris**


	5. No More Aliens!

**17. Hello Masaya!**

Ichigo was shocked.

" What are you--?" Masaya Aoyama interupted Ichigo, which he had never done before.

" I know, it's a bit random of me to pop in, I just wanted to say hi!." He smiled. " It's good to see you are doing well."

" Do you want to come inside?"

" Uhm…yeh ok why not?"

Ichigo felt nervous. Kish still wasn't back, and now her ex-boyfriend was in her lounge room. The atmosphere was tense.

" S-So, why are you here in Tokyo?" Ichigo started with, not really wanting to ask much. As much as she still loved him, it was more as a friend now than it had ever been. And she really wanted him out of here, incase Kish showed up again.

" Anou… my parents, that is, I'm visiting my adoptive parents for a few weeks."

" Hai… well it's really good to see you again! How have you been?"

" Good. I'm still playing Kendo, I'm head of the environmental team that cleans up the rivers and parks and I'm still doing well at school. How about you?"

" That's great to hear! Well, I'm still working at the Café… and yeh. Haha. So how many girls you got hanging off you now days? I know you had heaps here in Tokyo!"

" Well yeh, still the same really." He paused. " I also well, have a girlfriend…" He cringed, waiting for Ichigo's disappointed face. But instead she beamed.

" Sugoi! That's excellent! Congrats!"

" Really? You're not mad? You're not upset? You're ok with it!"

" Sure! Why wouldn't I be! Aoyama-kun, I still love you, but it's more as a friend now. I find it exciting you have a new girl! What's her name?"

" Momoko. It's good to hear you still care about me Ichigo-san! I suppose I can understand, I mean, who's your new boy? I saw him before, but I couldn't recognise him properly, he was too far away. Is he from your school?" Ichigo froze.

" Y-You saw my boyfriend? How?"

" Oh, well, when I arrived in Tokyo and was in the car with my parents, I thought I saw you. I looked again and it was, and you were with a guy and then you two…well you kissed. I assume he's your boyfriend?"

" Hai! Well, he's not from school, but you sort of know him, I think. You met a few times but I'm not sure you remember." Ichigo wasn't exactly _lying, _but she _did_ forget to mention the tiny detail it was his and her arch enemy…

And as if on que, who else would fly through the door than…

" KISH!"

" Kish! I knew that Ichigo was in trouble! I knew I had to return!" Masaya stood up and started glowing, like he was ready to transform.

" Aoyama-kun stop!" Ichigo cried, before bouncing ontop of him and stopping the transformation.

" Koneko-Chan, what's going on!" Kish floated down and looked at the scene. Masaya Aoyama was lying flat on his back and Ichigo was ontop of him, after crashing to the ground. She quickly got up and dusted herself off.

" You returned at a really bad time Kish! Well, I know you two know eachother but… Kish, you remember Masaya Aoyama." Kish started gritting his teeth. Masaya stood up and was staring at them.

" Aoyama-kun, you remember Kish, right?" Masaya kept on staring. " I know this looks really strange but, Kish is my friend!" Kish whispered something into her ear that Masaya barely caught.

" Aww still just a friend infront of family and friends huh? Just when I thought you said we were official." She waved him off to see Masaya's face. It was scrunched up, like he was trying to figure it out, and then it softened and he even laughed a little.

" So I was right. Wow Ichigo, I never realised that you really loved this guy. When I started having dreams about being The Blue Knight again, I assumed it was because you were in trouble. Last night I saw you and Kish together in my dream and I thought it meant you had been taken by him. I was right, but I wasn't right either. This is strange huh?" He laughed a bit more.

" Aoyama-kun? Is this why you're really here? Because you saw you were The Blue Knight again? Because you thought I was in danger?" Masaya nodded his head and Ichigo threw her arm around him.

" Arigatou… for understanding. You know you still mean a lot to me, Aoyama-Kun. I missed you." Kish could feel his insides turn inside out. He was feeling jealous, but he knew this was sort of their farewell. Ichigo broke away and stepped back, bumping into Kish as she did. He cautiously put his arms around her and she didn't object.

" You were right, Kish and I really are together. It is strange, but it's alright. I'm glad you stopped by to say hello again. Atleast I know you still care." They both smiled.

" Hai, Ichigo-san. Well I think I better go now, I don't want to intrude."

" Ok. Pop by the café if you're still here Monday and say hello to everyone!" Ichigo waved to him as he left. She broke away from Kish to see him out the door, when suddenly she felt lips agains hers.

Masaya's lips.

Ichigo pulled away quickly and blushed.

" That was a goodbye kiss. Goodbye Ichigo-san, take care. Good luck with Kish." He waved and turned around. Ichigo had her hand on her lips.

" Are you sure it's me you love?" Kish appeared behind her again and pulled her inside. Ichigo whinced, noticing the force in his touch. She pulled away and closed the door. Kish stood there with his arms crossed and all the playfullness from his eyes was gone.

" Kish…" Ichigo started. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening her arms and jumping onto him, hugging him as she went. He fell a little but caught himself in time. He uncrossed his arms from under Ichigo and hugged her back.

" I love you Koneko-Chan. I don't want to lose you to anybody."

" Neither…" She whispered.

" Well wasn't it nice of your little boyfriend to pop in? How long was he here for?" Kish asked, starting to sound defensive. Ichigo knew this tone of voice.

" Kish… about five minutes, I opened the door expecting you there, instead it was him, we sat down and talked a little then you appeared. And you know the rest."

" So why'd he kiss you?"

" I don't know really. He said it was a goodbye kiss. " Ichigo sighed and pulled away from Kish.

" Where's my stuff? AND WHY WERE YOU GONE SO LONG?" She started shaking with anger.

" Koneko!! Calm down! I ran into Pai and Tart and I explained the whole arrangement deal, and of course they wanted to know all the details, they wanted to know everything. So I told them. And then I found all your stuff spread over my floor and I picked it all up and came back. I didn't mean to be gone so long my dear Koneko-Chan." Ichigo started blushing, she _had_ made a bit of a mess with her stuff

" Hai, Hai… I understand… thankyou Kish! Wow you're so kind now… how could I ever not… and now… Kish? How come you havnt told me how to repay you yet? You've done so much for me! You saved my life, you spared me, you took care of me, you care so much and all I've done is complained, or yelled at you!"

" Koneko-Chan! Don't believe that! You've done enough. You've let me stay here. _You've_ taken care of _me_! And besides." He snaked his arms lower, around her waist. " You've become mine. At long last, _mine._ That's enough for me."

**18. Nyan!**

Ichigo felt a strange sensation flush through her body. She felt warm and fuzzy, but she always felt like that around Kish. But it was so different now, and yet it was familiar…

" Ichigo-Chan! What's happening to you?" He broke away and stared at Ichigo.

" Nani!" She looked down and saw a tail flicking around… her hands suddenly flew to her head and she felt her ears.

" Awwww you're so cute as a cat my little Koneko-Chan!" Kish smirked, knowing this was practically normal. She sighed a little. She decided to experiment. She jumped up and pecked Kish on the lips, waiting to turn into a cat.

" What was _that_? That wasn't a normal kiss Koneko-Chan! Aww you're adorable!" He stroked her cat ears and she started purring.

" Kish!" She pulled away quickly. " This is important! I have to go see Ryou. He'll be able to reverse this somehow! If this goes on for much longer, everytime I kiss you, or get excited …"

" You will turn into a cat? Koneko-Chan, I know! It's ok." Ichigo sighed and nodded her head, covering her ears.

" Koneko-Chan, we've kissed so often now I've lost count. I like it." He licked his lips and took a step forward. Ichigo laughed nervously.

" I agree, but you don't have to look so hungry for me Kish! You look… like you used to two years ago." Kish immediently snapped out of his little trance.

" Gomen! I love you!"

" Still, you deserve something!" She bent forward and kissed him.

" Mmmmm…Yay, that's a grand total of… four proper kisses from my Koneko-Chan!" Kish looked proud.

" What, just four? I'm sure we've kissed a lot more!"

" Yes, but that's always been me!" Ichigo rolled her eyes. " I know you've consented to heaps more though. "

" Ok then. Let's go to Ryou." She turned towards the door and felt Kish hold her back.

" Don't use the door, I'll take you there."

Ichigo closed her eyes as Kish teleported them to Café Mew Mew. But when she opened her eyes, she wasn't at Café Mew Mew.

" Where are we Kish?" Ichigo took a good look around. It looked like the forest. There were many trees around them and the ground was covered with green, brown and pink petals. It was quite pretty.

" You like it Koneko-Chan?" Ichigo nodded and smiled. " I found it ages ago, when I was waiting to come and get you… I usually sat here and waited for you to walk by… we're near your school, if you havent noticed. " Kish pointed to a far away building, barely noticeable.

" Hai… it's beautiful! Wow it's so pretty! I don't really know what to say! You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble!"

" Oh it was no trouble… I just thought you'd like to see it… Shirogane can wait can't he? Or do you want to see him for other reasons? Ichigo you sure have a lot of guys after you my Koneko-Chan… Are you really sure you love me?"

" Of course Ryou can wait, he's my boss. Nothing special about him at all… I might have one or two admirers, but I only admire one guy…"

" Wow he's lucky, what's his name?" Kish pulled Ichigo close to him, resting her head on his chest. She placed her arms around his back, but let them fall so they were around his waist. He did the same.

" His name is Kish. He has beautiful green hair and golden eyes I get lost in. He used to be my arch enemy but now I can't seem to let go of him.. Kish is perverted and likes kissing me, and holding me very close, but it's all with good intentions now days. He calls me his Koneko-Chan, which is a nickname I've become fond of!"

Kish smiled contently.

" Is there anything else about this guy?"

" Hai, just the one. I love him." She looked up into Kish's eyes and kissed him lightly. She seemed to look into his eyes a lot.

" Well, that's nice. But there's this one girl I adore. She has strawberry red hair, but when she's a Mew Mew, it turns sugar pink. Her eyes range from chocolate brown to strawberry red. Her name is Ichigo Momomiya, but she's my Koneko-Chan. Ichigo is ditzy, funny and kind. She used to hate me, because I tried to reclaim the Earth as my race's own. I used to use her as my toy, kissing her and playing with her against her consent because I felt like it."

" Kish… you're so sweet… do we really have to go see Ryou?"

" Well, you don't have to come see me. I'm already here."

" Ryou?!" Ichigo looked shocked and embarrased. How much had he heard?

" Shirogane, what are you doing here?" Kish barked, pulling Ichigo close. " How'd you find us and not make yourself known?"

A little pink thing fluffed up from behind Ryou.

" MASHA!" Ichigo took one hand off Kish and let Masha, or R2000, run into her open arm.

" Ichigo! Ichigo!" He purred. " Alien! Alien! Ichigo!"

" Shhh it's ok Masha! I know! It's alright!"

" How did you find us?" Kish repeated, his voice becoming irritated.

" Ichigo, control your boyfriend! Keiichirou found a weird energy signal coming from Ichigo, indicating her cat ears and tail were starting to react to her emotions again. I decided to try find you. Masha was also willing to help."

" But I couldn't see you enter here, or even hear you." Kish still had Ichigo firm around her back.

" Alto…" She whispered. " I know, you were Alto!"

" Hai, you're not as ditzy as your boyfriend says you are."

" YOU!" Ichigo lunged forward to claw at Ryou but Kish pulled her back.

" Shhh Ichigo. Didn't Shirogane just say he's here to help? Calm down Koneko-Chan…" He turned to Ryou. " So how do you stop her ears and tail popping out? We've figured out she doesn't turn into a cat if kissed, but that could be the next step, right?"

Ryou stood there, shocked. Kish was actually concerned about Ichigo. He was frozen still for a second, not knowing how to react. He felt like he should laugh, cry and be sick at the same time. It was so strange to see him care for Ichigo.

" Oh yeah, right. Well, there is only one real way that all of the Mew Mews will ever be normal, considering that I don't think you're going anywhere." He nodded towards Kish's firm grip on Ichigo.

" How?"

" You would… have to become a human."

**19. Human**

He made it seem so easy.

' You would have to become a human.' It sounded so simple. Like,

" You'd have to become a blonde." That's simple. But to change yourself so much you'd change your race, that's a lot to ask.

" Hai, I knew it would come to this. And I think it can be done."

" Kish!" Ichigo pulled his attention onto her. " You- You can't! You can't change yourself so much that you'd become a human! I don't want you to do all this, for me!"

" Koneko-Chan…" He placed a gentle finger on her lips, which were quivering with newly forming tears. " _I_ want to do this. _I want to change myself for you_. I love you Ichigo Momomiya. I made you a deal on my ship remember? We will figure this out. Trust me, trust Shirogane, and if I'm right, you'll have to trust Pai too."

Ichigo felt her ears and tail pop out. She quickly covered them and returned to normal.

" But… what'll happen to you? What'll happen? Will it hurt you? Will you lose everything?"

" No… I won't lose everything. I won't be able to teleport, or float, or anything like that. But I won't have lost everything, because I still will have you Koneko-Chan! You won't be a Mew Mew, but you won't need to be! Because I'll be here, with you, as your human boyfriend."

" Hai… Kish's right Ichigo. It won't be bad. It won't hurt him, Pai or Tart at all. But Kish," Kish turned to face Ryou. " You understand that once you become human, you wont be able to access your ship?"

" Yes we will. Pai can land it here on Earth and it'll easily stay functioning. We won't have to bother you too much!" Kish laughed.

" Well, it's time we sort the whole thing out then shouldn't we?" Kish nodded.

" Hai, I'll go get Pai. In fact, I reckon we can land the ship here, it's not exactly a big ship… I'll be back Koneko-Chan, Shirogane." And Kish disappeared again, leaving Ichigo and Ryou alone.

" So… it really seems that you and Kish have bonded over the past week…" Ryou and Ichigo were sitting on the ground of the spot the ship was to land. Ichigo nodded.

" Hai, Kish and I have become very close. I really do love him Ryou. And he loves me too. I saw Aoyama before…" Ryou laughed.

" Oh boy this'll be good. Did the Blue Knight make a special appearance too?"

" Almost. But I was able to calm both of them down, and we had a nice talk, and now everything is fine!" Ichigo sighed softly and hugged herself. " It's like he was never the enemy."

" I agree, the way you let him hold onto you, it was exactly like two years ago, except you weren't struggling to get away. It's creepy Ichigo. Very creepy."

" Oh well. I love Kish."

" Aww Koneko-Chan it's nice to know." Kish appeared behind Ichigo and hugged her.

" Welcome back." She giggled.

" Anyway, we better get moving quickly otherwise we'll be crushed. Shirogane, grab onto me or Ichigo, I'm going to teleport us a way for a moment, so Pai can land the ship."

Ryou walked over and put his hand on Kish's shoulder. It was his way of accepting the fact Ichigo and him were together. Kish nodded and transported the three of them away.

The trio laned on top of Ichigo's school. From where they stood they could see the ship appear and land in a small clearing in the forest. He nodded to Ryou and Ichigo, preparing them to teleport once more.

" Sugoi… it seems like everything is so small from here…" Ichigo murmered, pulling Kish towards herself. Even though she still had reflexes like a cat's, she felt uneasy so high up.

" Koneko-Chan? Are you alright? You look kind of pale." Kish put a firm arm on Ryou, as to not let him fall, and turned around a little to face Ichigo. She was, indeed, pale. Her stomach was inside out.

" Gomen Kish. I'll be alright, I just feel uneasy…"

" You won't fall Ichigo. You're boyfriend will have a strong hand on you. Otherwise we know you'd scratch his eyes out if he did let you fall." Ryou laughed and was surprised when Kish laughed aswell.

" Hai. I agree, I wouldn't let you fall because I fear the consequences! Oh, and that fact that I care too much!" Kish gave Ichigo a comforting smile, which made her calm down.

" Hai, arigatou. I think you two are going to be good friends…" She pointed to Ryou, lost her balance a little, grabbed onto Kish and her ears and tail popped out, in one swift movement.

" I think I better let you guys down again, Ichigo looks like she's about to die."

With that comment, Kish tugged both Ryou and Ichigo closer and teleported to the ship. They landed right infront of Pai and Tart.

" Pai. Tart." Ryou acknowledged the two aliens infront of them.

" Shirogane." Pai nodded and Tart also nodded. " I suppose it's time we talked about the change then?"

" Hai, that's the plan. You've got to help us, we have the technology, we just do not have the resources." Kish let go of Ryou and he took a step forward.

" This," Ryou pulled out a long silver needle from his pocket. " Is how we will change your molecular structure. It taps so finely into your veins that it hits exactly where your DNA forms and will change it so that the DNA is like that of a human."

" Understood." Pai took the needle and examined it. " Very smart."

" Will I change at all? My hair? My eyes?" Tart piped up. " I know my ears will die down, and I wont be able to float or anything, but I wanna know what else!"

Ichigo bent down so she was level with the small alien.

" Well, Tart, I'm guessing that that's the only changes you'll experience, because to me, you're all more human now than you've ever been." Tart smiled. " Plus, Pudding has been waiting for you!"

Tart laughed uneasily and everyone else chuckled, except Pai.

" If we're going to get this over with, let's hurry up."

**20. De-activating the Mew Mew Power **

Ichigo followed Pai, Kish and Tart into the medical room. Ichigo shivered as she realised this was the same room Pai had taken her blood from. Kish knew what she was thinking and smiled. The day she was in this room was the same day Ichigo nearly confessed to Kish.

" I'll prepare the syrum." Pai stated plainly and walked off. That left the other two aliens, Ryou and Ichigo alone.

" So… I can't believe we're actually doing this Kish. I feel like we're betraying our planet!"

" Don't think stupid things Tart, our planet betrayed us! They exiled us after we saved them! I think we belong here, don't you, Koneko-Chan?"

" Why didn't you just kill her in the first place Kish? If you hadn't fallen in love we'd be back home and you'd have all your other girlfriends like normal!" Tart stuck out his tounge, but Kish had a comeback.

" Well maybe I thought Ichigo was different. I thought she was special." Kish and Tart continued bickering and Ichigo stood there, confused.

" Other…girlfriends? Girlfriend_s_." Kish stopped when he realised Ichigo was still on that thought.

" No, no Konkeo-Chan! It's not like that!"

" Yes it is! You had three when we left!" Tart smirked. It was fun making Kish try protect himself.

" _Before_ the mission. When we returned they'd all moved on anyways!"

" You had three girlfriends?" Ichigo was still puzzled. It hadn't occurred to her that Kish would have girlfriends back home. Then again, if she had fallen for him, even though he was an _alien_, it wouldn't be impossible for aliens to fall for him either. In the background you could see Ryou, uninterested in the argument, looking at all the fancy machinery in the same room as them.

" If you three are finished with your love triangle yet, I'd like to point out the serum is finished." Pai walked in with a bottle containing a bright blue liquid.

" Alrighty, it's time!"

" I don't know I'm too sure about this anymore…" Kish whinced when he saw the needle close up. Ichigo sat next to him.

" You were there when I needed you, so I'm here for you, alright Kish? Nothing bad will happen I promise." She held his hand reassuringly and smiled.

" Shirogane, let's get this over with."

" Ok, I don't know what side-effects you'll have straight after it, but I promise that it's worth it." Ryou put on his surgical gear (it was quite funny to see Ryou in a surgical mask and goggles, with hair net and all). Placing the tip of the needle into the blue liquid, he instructed Kish to get ready to lose his powers.

" Ok." Kish closed his eyes and felt the needle push into his his skin, past his fat, past the blood cells and straight into his vein. He screamed in pain, but Ichigo kept a firm grip on his hand, making sure he didn't try and take the needle out. Ryou pushed all the blue liquid out of the needle and pulled it out slowly.

" And it's done." That was the last thing Kish heard before he fell back and fainted.

" Kish!" Ichigo picked up his head and shook him. " Wake up!"

" Ichigo, get him off the table, I think it's normal that he's fainted. I would too if my race was being changed.

" Ok… I'll take him back to his room, will you be alright with these two?"

" Excuse me, but we can take care of ourselves!" Pai snapped and pointed to the door.

" Fine."

Ichigo found it difficult to carry Kish all the way to his room, but she managed it eventually. Placing his head on the black pillow, she sighed. Even ten minutes after he was injected, she could already see that his skin was changing from a pale white to a slightly tanner peach colour. His ears were also slowly shrinking and reforming.

" What have you done to yourself Kish?" She tucked him under the blanket and took a seat at his desk, watching him as he slept.

A few minutes later, Ichigo heard Tart scream loudly, then it died down again.

' Two down, one to go…' She thought, closing her eyes. She had forgotten that once the aliens were gone, so were her Mew Mew powers.

" Just one more time… Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorphosis!" Ichigo started glowing, and she could feel her ears and tail form, but suddenly, in time with the horrifying scream from Pai, she snapped back to normal Ichigo and lay on the ground, unconcious.

" Yo, Koneko-Chan, wake up! You have to see this!" Ichigo moaned and rubbed her eyes. It felt so strange to have your powers pulled away from you like that.

" Kish?" She opened her eyes to see a slightly familiar figure beaming at her. It was definitely Kish, but he looked…

" You're human!" Ichigo sat up and started scanning him. His skin had changed, but he was still pale. The only other real difference was that his ears were normal size and round. " It worked!"

" Yup! But what happened to you? When I woke up you were out cold! I was worried!"

" Um… oh yeh, well I tried to transform into Mew Ichigo one last time, but I couldn't! As I tried, Pai was turned into a human, and that meant all you aliens were gone, so my powers left." She stood up and helped Kish up too.

" Does it feel weird? To not be able to float or teleport or anything?"

" Nah. I'm gonna miss it, sure, but I'd rather be with you, my dear Koneko-Chan!" He held his arms out and Ichigo knew he wanted to hug her. So she took a step forward and placed her arms around him. He sagged heavily onto her body, using it as a rest.

" Although, it _is_ weird. I dunno, I feel so weak. I couldn't walk for a while, I kept falling over. I also feel woozy." He rest his head on Ichigo's shoulder. She started to pat his back lightly. She felt so much gratitude towards him now. He had changed _everything_ for _her_.

" Thankyou Kish. You did this for me, how can I repay you?"

" Dunno, but a kiss may help me think." Kish may have been tired, but he was still the same old Kish. Ichigo was relieved. She gave him a short kiss, as she could feel him starting to fall.

" Well, I think you need to rest! You cant even kiss me without falling over!"

" Mmmmm."

**Alrighty! Just incase you wanted to know, in Word, this is officially page 42 of 52! So the next set of chapters will be shorter than the others! I'll keep writing though when I don't have assignments or trips to Brisbane coming up!**

**Moonlit-Kris**

**(Please Review!) Nyan!**


	6. Cat's out of the Bag!  NYAN!

**21. Eventful Night**

Ichigo spent the night on the ship, watching the three aliens with Ryou and Keiichirou, who popped in later that night. Pai and Tart were in the same condition as Kish- tired and weak. Both of them looked the same as before, except their skin and ears. Ichigo wondered if that was the only change, because she hadn't seen everything…

' Stop that Ichigo! Don't think of such things! Gross!' She scoulded herself. Ryou was in the same room as Pai, and Keiichirou was looking after Tart, under Pudding's instructions. Ichigo was currently sitting on the end of Kish's bed, watching him sleep, even though she could barely make him out in the dark. It may have been a side-effect, but Kish seemed really angry everytime he woke up. Which had been several times.

Ichigo sighed heavily. It had been two hours since Kish had last awoken. He probably was in a deep sleep now, not about to wake up anytime soon. She felt around and cautiously curled up at the end of the bed, avoiding his feet. She didn't want him to wake up again. He needed his rest. And so did she.

Unfortuantly, it seems that Kish felt the movement.

" Ichigo!" He sat up quickly. " Ichigo!"

" Shhh…" Ichigo sat up aswell, rolling onto her knees. " I'm here. How're you feeling?"

" Better. But I'm not sick. Where are you?" Kish put his hands out infront of him, trying to grab her. She could see his hands and avoided them, but noticed that Kish couldn't see her.

" You cant see me, can you?"

" No, where are you!"

" I'm here." She grabbed both his hands and placed them in her own. Kish took the opportunity to tug at her, making her fall right ontop of him.

" Ah, _there_ you are." He laughed softly, pulling Ichigo up next to him. Ichigo sighed mentally. It was a relief to see Kish was semi-normal again. " I was worried you left me."

" I wouldn't leave." Ichigo sat up again and put her hand on his head, checking his temperature. " You're burning up a little. You really should just go to sleep for the rest of the night." She said, sitting up and stroking his hair. Kish closed his eyes, pleased that Ichigo was there.

" I will. But stay with me." Ichigo nodded, even though Kish couldn't see her, and replied.

" I wont. I'll be in that chair next to your desk ok? I wont leave you."

" No, don't leave me. "

" I wont."

" I mean, stay _here_." He pulled her down again. " Or don't you want to?" He placed his arm around her and tugged her closer, until she was so close she was nearly ontop of him.

" Kish! Control yourself, I told you I'm not leaving, let go." He did as she said, but not happily. " I'll stay here. Calm down, ok?"

" Damn it Ichigo, don't you like me anymore?" He rolled onto his side, propped up by his elbow, and put his hand out, trying to find Ichigo's face. When he found it, he cradled her jaw in his fingers. Ichigo thought that he was crazy. Of course she liked him still!

" You're delusional, probably from the needle. Maybe I should get Ryou in here…"

" Sure, of course you want _Ryou_ in here!"

" What are you talking about Kish!!"

" Ichigo, you don't like me anymore do you?"

" Kish, what're you on about?

" What can I do more than this to make you like me!"

" Kish!" Ichigo decided to calm him down. She could see him clearly in the dark, and placed her lips heavily on his. Kish seemed shocked but delighted at the same time. While they were locked, Ichigo put her arm over his body.

" I. Won't. Leave. You." She pushed her head against his arm and could feel him roll in towards her, placing one arm over her body aswell.

" Good… maybe you do like me… we'll see later…" And Kish was asleep.

It wasn't too long before Ichigo was too.

---

Ichigo woke up before Kish did. It was probably a good thing too. At first, Ichigo didn't know why she felt so… violated, nervous. But before long she realised that Kish's hand was right smack bang in the middle of her chest, and the other one was on her hips…

' He either rolled over or he woke up again.' Ichigo sat up slowly, removing his hands but she tried not to wake him up.

It didn't work this time either.

" Ohayo Koneko-Chan." Kish rubbed his eyes and lay still.

" … Ohayo Kish…" Ichigo looked at him thouroughly. He looked happier. And he had called her by her pet name, not her normal name, unlike last night.

" How do you feel? You were a bit nuts last night you know."

" Hai… I sorta remember, but not really. All I really remember is waking you up after you passed out, and you putting me to bed, and I remember waking up once with you right next to me. Did you really want me that close to you Koneko-Chan? I feel loved." Kish sat up too, with a cheeky grin on his face. Ichigo sighed.

" Well I would rather forget last night too. You were quite angry. You woke up once and forced me next to you, and you threw a spaz, thinking I didn't care about you! I'm glad you're happier now." She smiled and put her hand on his forehead again.

" Really? I don't remember."

" Well, your fever has gone down, which is really good. And you're in a better mood. I'm relieved." She brushed his hair tenderly out of his face and ran her fingers around his ear.

" Wow, they're so normal now! You look good with normal ears Kish!" He smiled, enjoying Ichigo's soft touch on his skin. He could feel everything more clearly now, and he felt shivers go through his spine everynow and again under her fingertip. " So, can I get you anything? I should go see how Ryou, Keiichirou, Pai and Tart are. You wanna come?"

" Hm… Nah." Kish lay back down. " I'll stay here."

" Ok then." Ichigo began to get up, but was pulled down again. " KISH! What're you doing?"

" I don't want you to go either! If I remember right, you said you wouldn't leave me!" Kish whined, cradling her head in his arms. Ichigo sighed.

" Fine, I'll stay right here. But only for a while longer. And then you'll come too. I told you I wouldn't leave you, and I wont. Ok?"

" Ok then! By the way Koneko-Chan…" Kish sighed, pulling Ichigo closer to his body. " I love you."

" I love you too Kish… and if you ever need anything, I'll be of service!"

" I need a kiss right about now."

**22. Mine **

" Gah you're so perverted!"

" Maybe I am…" He rolled ontop of Ichigo and straddled his knees to her hips. She groaned in pain slightly, even as a human he was still forceful. " Now, where were we?"

" N-No-where as far as I can remember!"

" Oh really? Maybe we should start…"

" Start _what_, exactly?" Ichigo asked, slightly scared. She put her hands over his and tried to sit up, but he was sitting too heavily on her. Kish smiled as he bent down and placed one kiss on Ichigo's lips. Ichigo didn't know whether or not to respond. She did, but it was just a bit… forced. Kish noticed this and pulled away.

" What's wrong Koneko-Chan? Did I hurt you?" Kish looked at her, his eyes full of playfullness.

" No…" Ichigo took his hands off her face and held them in her own. " Just… promise me you'll stop acting so perverted alright? You're really scaring me…"

" Sorry Koneko-Chan. I promise. " He stood up and helped Ichigo to the ground too. As he stood up, Kish felt a weazy sensation spread through his body, bringing on feelings of doubt, nausea, uneasiness and disbelief and destroying all the playfullness he had just felt.

Ichigo noticed this and she looked at him in the eyes and saw they were slightly watering…

" Kish, are you alright?" Ichigo asked, taking his hands in hers. Kish looked away from Ichigo and threaded his fingers through hers.

" Hai, I'm alright. I just don't feel comfortable… in this body. I feel so uneasy about everything. Especially what to believe. I don't know, it must be a side-effect or something but-" Ichigo understood and placed her lips on him, kissing him slowly.

" Believe me. Believe _in_ me. " Ichigo said as she pulled away and placed her head on his chest. He put his arms around her in embrace, smiling.

" I do believe in you, Koneko-Chan. God I love you. You know, I think we'll be ok. We'll be alright…" He kissed her head. " Together."

The couple soon left that room to go see how the others were doing. Pai was in his lab, with Ryou, blogging data. Tart and Keiichirou were in the kitchen, making breakfast for everyone. Apparently both had a rough night, but eventually got to sleep, and were in bad moods when the woke up, because they felt uneasy. So Kish and Ichigo decided that Kish's behaviour was alright. He wasn't the only one.

" I just wish I could float! Now I really do feel shorter than usual!!" Tart whined as Keiichirou got down some cinnimon from the top shelf to hand to Tart. When Ichigo was satisfied with everyone's well being (and after they ate some breakfast), Kish and Ichigo returned to Kish's room.

" What do you wanna do now, Koneko-Chan?" Kish asked, sitting down on his bed, patting the space beside him. Ichigo sat down on that spot and smiled.

" Hm… well, now you look like a human, why don't we go out in the real world? We should shopping and get some lunch or something."

" Good idea. My second date with my Koneko-Chan!" Kish hugged her and pulled her close. She smiled and hugged him back.

" Ahuh. Well, we shouldn't go to Café Mew Mew… haha I should have been working today… but it's closed. How about we go on a day trip through town? Then we can do everything."

" Sounds perfect."

---

After wondering the city centre for over two hours, Kish and Ichigo found a small café and sat down, ready for a rest.

" I never knew just _looking_ at stuff would be that fun!" Kish exclaimed, surprised at how much he had enjoyed himself. Of course, the fact Ichigo was there made a huge difference. She had bought a few small things for herself, such as some more ribbons, a new dress and a new bag, but she also bought Kish something too. Not that he knew it. Yet.

" Well, that's what it's like on a real date here on earth!" Ichigo laughed, also reminising the two hour browse. Kish had kept ahold on her most of the time, whether his arm be around her waist, shoulder or his hand in hers. Once or twice Ichigo saw some people she knew, but they all kept their distance seeing that she was on a date. With a hot new stranger. Ichigo mentally grinned. She knew she'd get hell at school for this, but she would be fine.

" So Kish what do you want? I'm gonna order a strawberry smoothie, do you want one too?" Kish nodded his head and slumped back in his chair. He really was exhausted! Probably because it was his first day as a human, he had to get used to it.

" Waiter!" Ichigo nearly laughed out loud. She sounded exactly like some of the customers at Café Mew Mew. A familiar face walked towards Ichigo.

" Yes? Oh, hey Ichigo-san!" The boy was tall, muscular and had black hair and deep green eyes. He was quite handsom. Kish froze, noticing both this and the fact he was so familiar with Ichigo. _His_ Ichigo.

" Hey Jiro-kun. Two strawberry smoothies please!"

" Anything for you Ichigo-san! Anything for the prettiest girl at school!" He smirked and walked off.

" And what was that about?" Kish demanded. Ichigo sighed and placed her hands on his.

" Jiro's a guy in my class. He was one of Aoyama's friends. He flirts with me a lot, but he's just another guy to me." Kish smiled slightly, knowing Ichigo was telling the truth. Jiro approached them again, drinks in hand.

" Here you go Ichigo! And who's this guy, might I ask?" Jiro pointed to Kish.

" My boyfriend. Jiro-kun, this is Kish. Kish, this is Jiro Tsuchichairo."

" Nice to meet you Kish-san! I suppose it's about time our little strawberry here found a new guy- you always seemed so alone after Masaya-san left!"

" I suppose. But I'm all right now! Hey Kish?" He smiled and winked at him, making Kish blush slightly. He eased up and laughed.

" I'm just glad I can make my dear Ichigo-Chan smile." Kish nodded his head in the way guys do when they accept eachother. Jiro nodded back and collected the money off Ichigo.

" Bye bye Jiro-kun! See you in a week!"

" Bye Ichigo! Gah, school! Oh and it was nice meeting you, Kish!" And he left.

Kish took a sip of his drink, his hand still under Ichigo's. He was thinking about that guy. _Jiro Tsuchichairo_. He had nerve to talk to Ichigo with such familiarity! Then again, Ichigo _had_ introduced him straight away as her boyfriend… maybe he shouldn't get so jealous.

" I love you Koneko-Chan--- Don't ever forget it." Kish simply stated, squeezing her hand. Ichigo was slighlty taken back by the randomness of this declaration, but none the less, she smiled.

" I wont. And I love you too Kish. Never, ever, doubt it." He nodded, and both of them started laughing. Kish found himself finally relax. He didn't understand why, but it was only then, when he and Ichigo began to relax, that he started to feel comfortable as a human. It was only when he realised he was going to stay with Ichigo, that she was not leaving him, there were not going to be any sad goodbyes, that he finally accepted that he was human.

**23. Moon Talk **

Ichigo spent the rest of the afternoon with Kish, talking about random stuff at that café. It was now sunset, and Ichigo was heading home.

" Should I walk you home Koneko-Chan?" She nodded and wrapped her arm around his waist.

After a small while of walking in silence, Ichigo broke the serenity.

" Three days. Well, four. That's how long you've been here. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today." Ichigo randomly stated. Kish laughed.

" Just proves how much you liked me before, because I know it doesn't take just four days for someone to fall in love." Kish said, with a very cocky tone, as he placed his arm around her too.

" Oh stop being cocky. I'll admit it, I fell for you years ago. But let's not dwell on that ok?" Ichigo gave Kish a weak punch in the chest, pretending to be pissed off at his cockyness.

" Alright, I'll stop boasting about how much you loved me earlier. Hey, we're here. Damn it, already?" He sighed as they reached Ichigo's house.

" Are you sure you don't want me to walk _you_ home, considering you live somewhat far away?"

" No Koneko-Chan, the guy _always_ walks the girl home! I'll be fine, I promise. Do you have to work tomorrow?"

" Hai… come by sometime and I'll see if I can get some time off, although Ryou probably wont let me…" Kish placed his free hand on her lips. It was pretty obvious that Ichigo resented Ryou at work- he was always so mean to her.

" Goodnight Koneko-Chan. I'll see you tomorrow." He removed his hand and replaced it with his lips. Ichigo smiled and returned the short kiss, then opened the door.

" Koneko-Chan?"

" Hai?"

" I love you."

" I love you too Kish. I'll see you tomorrow." She shut the door. Both of them sighed and Kish started walking to his new home. Not that he was going to stay in the ship for long. Oh no, he already had sleeping arrangements.

---

As he reached the small forest where the ship was located, he noticed Pai had put a field around it, making it look like a real house situated in the middle of the woods.

" Ah, he returns." Keiichirou stated as Kish entered. Pai, Tart, Keiichirou and Ryou were all sitting at the table, drinking and discussing 'important matters'.

" Yeah… how are you guys going?" He motioned towards Pai and Tart.

" Fine. But I'm still annoyed at how short I feel…"

" Don't worry, you'll still grow you shrimp." Ryou teased. " Well, we hope."

" So are you guys staying here again?"

" No, we're actually on our way out now. But we've arranged for you to stay at the Café tomorrow, if you have nothing better to do." Ryou said, standing up.

" I don't think he does. His precious _girlfriend_ has to work for you." Pai snorted.

" Well, I'm out too. I've got something I want to do tonight. So I'll see you two-" Kish pointed to Pai and Tart again. " Tomorrow."

" Where're you going?" Keiichirou asked. Kish shrugged.

" Anywhere but here. Atleast for tonight."

" Don't try anything on Ichigo. She may like you, but she's not an idiot." Ryou seethed as they exited the house.

" I know that. And I wouldn't do anything like that to her. No way."

" How can we trust you?"

" You have so far." Kish shrugged. " I'm not going to see Ichigo. Well, I am, but not like that. Bye bye." And he walked down the pathway again.

---

Kish reached Ichigo's house soon after and looked up at the semi-impossible task. The task, that is, of climbing the tree he had spent several nights sleeping in, watching over his dear Ichigo. He wished for his ability to float back.

' Ichigo's worth it.' He thought as he started climbing. He reached the top after falling down several times, receiving some grazes to his face, neck and arms. But as he reached the top, he was pleased. Ichigo was definitely in her room. From his view, all he could see was her red head behind a dark pink chair. She was writing something. He sighed and lay back in the chair, becoming comfortable.

Meanwhile, Ichigo shut the pink diary she had finished writing in. She stretched lightly and walked towards the window, to let some breeze in.

' Did I just see gold eyes?' She asked softly, as she opened the window. Kish was in a position where no-one from Ichigo's position could identify who he was, but his eyes were that bright that if he kept them open, she definitely would see him.

" Ah… that's better." She sighed out to no-one inparticular. " What a clear night…" she noticed, her head poking out of the window.

" So much has happened, since we last talked, Tsuki-sama." She sighed again, spying the cresent moon.

' I never knew Ichigo talked to the moon.' Kish smiled, his eyes still closed.

" Here I am, talking to no-one. But I need someone to talk too… Atleast you'll hear me out Tsuki-sama!"

Then the unpredictable happened. Ichigo climbed out of her window, onto the same branch Kish was on. But she didn't go so far as the trunk, where Kish lay contently. He opened one eye, watching her slowly and gracefully sit on the tree.

" Four days… am I rushing things? All the other girls seem to have accepted him already, which is good. Maybe I'm not. He's so different now… but stilI I fear that if I ever told anyone how I feel at the moment …" She pondered the word.

" I don't know. But of late, no-one listens. Ryou and Keiichirou are more interested in the business, Lettuce is always busy with schoolwork. Mint and Zakuro left us, but I think they've returned now. And Pudidng's too young to understand. And if I told Kish…" She sighed.

" I know he'd understand. But how am I supposed to tell him how stressed out I am? I always have to work, school's bad enough, and I'm just not overall happy anymore… … but if I was a Mew Mew again, I'd probably kill myself… But I'm glad Kish's here. Without him, I'd be _too_ stressed out!" She tried to laugh. It was a painful laugh though. Like she was crying…

" Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Tsuki-sama." Ichigo started to shift. Kish didn't know whether or not to grab her, and wipe away the one tear that was trailing down her cheek. But he didn't.

Ichigo reached her window and stared out of it again. She sighed sadly and closed the window, also turning off the light. Kish sighed, wishing he could comfort her.

**24. Busted**

When Kish awoke the next morning, he wanted to surprise Ichigo, so he climbed over towards her window, to see the bed empty. A little shocked Ichigo was up at 8:50am (according to her clock), he climbed down the tree.

But to his shock, there was no answer at the door either. He knocked for a full minute, but there was no reply. Something inside started to panic, but he reminded himself that it was Tuesday, and Ichigo had to work. She was probably early, to make up for missing out on work the past few days.

" I'll head over to the Café." He said outloud. And that's where he headed.

" Morning everyone!" Ichigo called into the café.

" Morning Ichigo!" Keiichirou shouted from the kitchen.

" For once, she's early!" Ryou cried out, walking into the kitchen with Keiichirou.

" Oh shut up. I'm only 10 minutes early. Besides, it's my first day back. So let's get to work!"

The café was busy, even 1 hour after opening. Regular customers ordered like usual, making half the job simple, but it was still hectic. Ryou had decided to have the day off to cater for the aliens Pai and Tart, as Zakuro and Mint had started working again too. Many customers were happy to see the pretty purple waitress back (especially the teenage boys), and no-one really noticed Mint was back, except for the fact that there were comments coming from a corner about the different teas.

" It's just like old times, ne?" Lettuce asked Ichigo as she wiped down a table, ready to seat the next customer.

" Yeh! It's so busy today! It's kinda nice knowing some things don't change!" Ichigo answered, before running off towards the kitchen to grab a plate of strawberry shortcake cake for the person sitting at table 12.

Little did Ichigo know that peson was Kish.

" Hey Koneko-Chan!" He smiled as Ichigo ran towards the table.

" Kish! I didn't realise you'd come here! What're you doing here anyway? I thought you'd be out the back with Pai and Tart and Ryou!" Ichigo asked excited.

" Nah, I wanted to see you in action." He winked and started eating his cake. " But I have to head back soon, I have something I have to do at home…"

" Ok then. Well, I really still gotta work, but I'll come by soon again, ok? If your gone by then I'll come around later on anyway and say hello!" She smiled and ran off.

" Waitress!" A young boy called.

" Hai!" Ichigo changed direction and ran to the table where a young boy, a teenage girl and an adult woman were sitting. They were all grinning. " Welcome to Café Mew Mew! What can I get you?"

" I'd like some three plates of Strawberry Cheesecake and three Mint Teas. Oh and miss?" The elder woman quizzed before Ichigo left. " Aren't you Ichigo Momomiya?"

" Huh? Oh, yeah, I am! Sorry, do I know you from somewhere?"

" No." The teenage girl smirked. " But we know you, _Mew_ _Ichigo_." Ichigo froze.

" I'm sorry! I'm not _her_. But I find it a compliment you would say that! Afterall, both our names _are _'Ichigo'." She laughed uneasily. " I'll go get your order."

" I cant believe it mum! She's a Mew Mew but she wont admitt it! How come?" The young boy tugged at Ichigo's dress. "I heard you have a cat tail and ears! I wanna see them!"

" I'm sorry little boy, but I don't have cat ears or a tail. I'm just a normal waitress here!" She laughed uneasily and walked off.

" What was that about?" Mint questioned as Ichigo passed her table. Ichigo bent down low and whispered in Mint's ear.

" I don't know. Somehow, by lucky guess, they said I was Mew Ichigo. I denied it, but they seem adiment. I don't know what to do!"

" All right, let me do it. I'll get their order, you go see some other table ok?"

" Thankyou Mint! You're the best!" Mint walked towards the kitchen with the family's orders and Ichigo looked over to the table. Somehow, they _did_ look familiar. But not directly. Like someone's family that she knew… and one other thing saddened Ichigo. Kish had obviously gone. He had mentioned it to her earlier, but she was a little upset he didn't say goodbye.

" Which table are they at?" Mint suddenly asked, startling Ichigo.

" Uh… table 5. Thankyou again Mint! I'm so grateful!"

" Oh I expect you are." She snobbed Ichigo, before giving her a kind smile, a very rare smile indeed. " But you don't deserve that."

Mint walked off, leaving Ichigo to stare at the following sequences that were about to happen.

" Here is your order, sorry it took so long." Mint said, in a convincingly-fake friendly tone.

" Ahh that's ok bird girl!" The little boy replied, making Mint blush.

" Anou…ok then. Enjoy!"

" Seriously, how long do you expect to keep your little secret _Mew Mint_? You and the rest of the Mews have kept your secret too long." The teenager looked up at Mint, with a sort of snobbish glint in her eye that Mint usually gave, not received.

" Café Mew Mew isnt a secret." Mint snobbed back. " I'm sorry, but I think you might have to leave if you keep harrasing the waitresses here. Me included."

" I don't think we're the ones leaving darling." The adult woman stood up. " A snobby rich girl, a world famous model, a hyper performer, a shy bookworm and a bubbly average teenager working at the same café, with no other things in common? A likely story." She pointed to Mint.

" Listen, who noticed that this café, Café _Mew Mew_, opened at the same time those aliens came to take over the planet, and the _Mew Mews_ arrived?" This question received some murmer in response, obviously stimulating some people to connect the dots.

" _And_ their names! Ichigo, Mint, Zakuro, Pudding and Lettuce! _Mew Ichigo, Mew Mint, Mew Zakuro, Mew Pudding and Mew Lettuce!_ Am I seriously the only one to realise this? Open your eyes people!"

All five girls backed away from their tables, bumping into eachother in the middle of it all. The woman walked over to Ichigo and pointed at her.

" This girl, this Mew Mew, has been working here for nearly three years now. Ichigo Momomiya was a super hero, and for gods sake, she's a cat! Even look, her ears are out now!" Ichigo gasped. The lady was right! Her ears and tail had popped out. She hastily covered them but they wouldn't go away.

" Is this all true?"

" It must be, she's a cat!"

" I've been served by a Mew Mew? That's scary! What if I turn into one?"

" Is this a feather in my soup! Mint over there served me after all!"

" I think Ichigo's in one of my classes! This'll be cool!"

" SHUT UP!" Ryou burst into the room. " I would like those responsible for starting this chaos to leave now. Infact, I think it'd be better if we closed the café early today." He stood at the door and opened it, only to see a pink and black blur run past him. Ichigo had made a runner.

" CATCH THE KITTY CAT!" A mob of people ran past Ryou too.

" Careful Ichigo…" Ryou muttered before polietly ushering the others out of the café too.

' How come it's happening now? My ears and tail haven't popped out since Kish was here! Oh my god! What happens if Kish is in trouble!' Ichigo thought as she ran down the street, her tears blinding her vision. She ran into some people, but was going so fast that she just kept running.

" Was that a cat person? The costume was a darker pink than that Mew Mew from years ago though…"

" Probably a cosplayer."

Ichigo didn't know where she was, but she kept running. She just wanted to get home and cry into her pillow. And see Kish…

" Ichigo?" A voice called from ahead of Ichigo. But she was determined to run past the voice.

" Slow down!" Of course, Ichigo didn't obey the voice. She was about to run beside him until…

_Crash._

Ichigo fell face-first into the ground, well, technically she fell face-first ontop of the person who was calling out to her.

" I'm so sorry! Sorry!" Ichigo sobbed as she hastily got up and tried to run again. But the person grabbed her wrist.

" What's wrong Koneko-Chan?"

**Chapters 21 through 24 are DONE! And I'm half way through chapter 25, meaning it could be a while before I update!**

**I'm sure you'll last the wait!**

**Thanks again!**

**(Who knew Ichigo talked to the moon? Lol! It's my story, it'll go as i want! LoL!) Nyan!**

**Moonlit-Kris**


	7. A Filler Cliffhanger Chapter

**HELLO! Oh my god i'm SO sorry for not updating, but life is SO hectic right now, and yet ITS FINALLY HOLIDAYS! WHOO! Well, u may have noticed but this is practically a filler... i have ideas for the next chapter and it may just end on chapter 8, we'll see!**

**Enjoy!**

**25. Kish's Comforting**

" Kish? KISH!" Ichigo quickly pulled Kish up to his feet and hugged him tightly. Kish was slightly confused, but then he saw her ears.

" What happened?" Ichigo looked up at Kish and both of them said the same thing at the same time.

" Your ears…"

Kish smiled kindly, like he knew exactly what Ichigo was talking about. And then Ichigo broke down again.

" Sh…it's alright, my Koneko-Chan. I'll take you home, you need to calm down though ok? You're going to have to tell me what's wrong ok?" Ichigo nodded, her head buried in his chest. She could feel him patting her on the back, and she started to calm down.

" Kish… I've had a bad day." Ichigo swallowed back the rest of her tears and tried to smile.

" I noticed. Come on, I'll take you home." Kish wiped away the rest of her tears and picked her up.

" But…it's about a ten minute walk from here to my house! You can't carry me the whole w--"

" --ay!" Ichigo suddenly realized that Kish had… " You teleported us home! What? How come!?" It wasn't that she was angry, or upset about it, but the fact he _could_ teleport…

" First I want to hear what happened to you. You were mess when I found you. I want to help…" Kish smiled and put Ichigo down onto her bed. She sighed, swallowing the rest of her tears.

" Some people… a family… they somehow knew that I was Mew Ichigo! Of course, it could have been a name, you know, Café Waitress Mew Ichigo, but they _knew_. Mint went to serve them after I left with their order and knew about her too. Then they exposed us, and for some reason, my cat ears and tail popped out, so I couldn't deny it! It was so scary! My worst nightmares were coming true one by one…"

She shivered, remembering the moment. Kish stroked her ears, which had a calming effect on Ichigo's nerves.

" Sh… you'll get through this I'm sure. But I understand you ears…as you can see, mine are back too, because the potion we were given only lasted a little over a day…" He sighed and lay down on the bed.

" But to tell the truth, I prefer being _me_. But that means you will be in danger all the time Ichigo. You'll always have your powers…" He trailed off, staring at Ichigo. She was looking down at him, her hands slowly being placed on his shoulders.

" That's alright… I don't care what you are, or how you look. I still love you Kish! Besides, you look better with your normal ears!" She smiled and lay down next to him, her hands that were previously on his shoulders hugging him. He smiled and nipped at her cat ears.

" Good! I think we'll have to try a different approach though, if I wanna stay here on earth with you! But for now, just relax, and go to sleep. No-one will interrupt you, I'll be sure to take care of anyone who does, ok? You'll need to relax, so you can face everyone later on."

" Alright…arigatou…"

Ichigo slept for a little over an hour before waking up from a nightmare. In it, she thought she saw the family who exposed her, but with one extra teenage boy by their side…

' No…he couldn't…he wouldn't…they _do_ look alike though…but why…' She moaned as she sat up, wishing that all the confusion would have disappeared with the fatigue she lost in sleep. But instead her worries had haunted her through her healing time. And the boy in her dream…

" You ok there Koneko-Chan?" Kish asked, waking up slightly. He too had slept, but his ears had perked up when he heard Ichigo stir. He liked having his powers back, he felt like he could help Ichigo now. Well, maybe not _now_, with the whole exposed secret identity crisis going on, but if anything was going to happen and she needed him, he'd be there.

" Hai… " She got out of bed and looked at the time. " It's already 4pm!!! Oh my god, my parents! They'll be home tomorrow!" Ichigo's hidden cat ears and tail suddenly popped out again, signaling she was distressed. " What if they find out I'm a Mew Mew! What if…"

" Calm down… you know, I can do something about that." Kish smiled, but this time, it looked like he was up to something. " They are returning by flight, am I right?"

" Hai…"

" Well, what happens if the plane, I don't know, breaks down, or better yet, all of them do? You'll be given more time!" He laughed a little, noticing Ichigo's expression. It shone both gratitude, confusion, shock, anger and curiosity. An expression only a girl like Ichigo could express.

" B-But!! I don't want anyone to get _hurt_ or anything! I just need time… if I can sort this out, then maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't need to find out! Please Kish, I…" She trailed off, and collapsed on the bed. " Don't do anything too evil, ok?"

" Alright. I promise." He smiled playfully again at her and made her smile too. Ichigo was under stress, but she knew that one thing would never change, and that was that Kish was beside her all the way.

' Oh god, I just let him loose at an airport to stop all flights. Crap! But I suppose I should trust him!'

Kish hovered over the airport, trying to figure out what to do. If only Pai was in on the plan, he'd know exactly what to pull and unplug. And he'd probably even know which planes to do so. Instead, Kish decided to do as he originally thought and break _all_ planes.

' Ichigo didn't want anyone to get hurt, so maybe if the engines are pretty obvious I'll drain them. Otherwise if I take something and people try to fly it'd explode. That's what I don't like about human technology.' Kish suddenly disappeared, and began to do his work.

RING! RING! RING!

Ichigo's cell phone was going off the hook. Several times it had been numbers she didn't recognize, meaning they were either reporters or random off the street. But once it had been Zakuro, telling her that she had taken a trip back to China to finish her modeling shoot. And she also received a text message from someone asking her to meet at the park, but she didn't know the number.

But this time she knew the number. It was Ryou.

" Ryou? Is that you?" She whispered, making sure it was before she went off her brains.

" Ichigo, thank god I got to you. Listen, I've managed to get rid of the reporters for today from Café Mew Mew, and I think it's better if you don't come to work for a while. I'll make up something, but I really do advise you stay away. Besides, where's Kish? Keiichirou's computers say he's not in Tokyo!"

" Kish is stalling a plane for me, to delay my parent's return. I trust him Ryou. And thank you, for everything. I don't think I'm ready for my powers and everything to be exposed publically, not yet… especially now since Kish and I…"

" Say nothing more. I assume you know Zakuro is in China again, and Mint is staying in her mansion. Pudding has no choice but to look after her siblings and Lettuce is going to stay with me for a while." Ichigo nearly laughed out loud. It was as if she could hear him blushing.

" Good, everyone's safe. But why didn't Pai's potion work for as long as we'd hoped? Not that I mind, but it'll be difficult for the aliens to stay around…"

" Don't worry about that for now, just keep Kish out of sight if you do venture out of the house. Or disguise him. Still, don't worry about it, Pai and I think we know what to do."

" Ok Ryou. Thank you so much. I hope this turns out alright!"

" As do I Ichigo."

" Bye bye!"

Ichigo sighed in relief. Work was out of the way, Kish was taking care of her parents, she had another week or so left of holidays…maybe…just maybe it would turn out alright. But somehow she had to come up with a plan to stop everyone finding her secret. And she had to find out who had started everything. That woman, that girl, that boy…all of them had dark hair and brown eyes… who did that remind her of--?

" Koneko-Chan!" Kish suddenly appeared behind her, startling her out of her deep thoughts.

" Ah you're back!" She smiled and checked her clock. 4:30pm. " I hope you didn't cause too much of a stir!"

" Nah, I think I did everything right, it should take at least a week for the humans to fix the planes." He smirked uncontrollably and his eyes started to glitter. " So what shall _we_ do Ichigo-Chan? I know Shirogane forbids you to leave the house for a while and the other Mews are in hiding. So that's just the two of us here huh?"

" Don't get too excited Kish, it's not as if…" She didn't get to finish her sentence. A familiar body had just jumped on top of her, pinning her to the bed. " Kish! Jeez, I swear, the more intense situations get the more turned on you are!"

" True that, true that." Kish smirked, noticing how Ichigo barely struggled under his hold this time. She smiled slightly, unable to stop once Kish grinned too. " You know, if I'm not mistaken, I'd think that you really wish you went with me two years ago."

" Yeah… but this _is_ a world without fighting, ne? Between us anyways." Ichigo smirked and did something Kish didn't think she'd do. She flipped him over and sat on _him_. " And if _I'm_ not mistaken, I'd say you're shocked I'm playing along!"

" No… more or less pleased!" Kish laughed, making Ichigo blush. She was feeling bold, the fact Kish was flirting with her at a time like this, a time of crisis, was making her feel better made her feel powerful, confident.

" Well Kish, I don't know what you had in mind, but I'm pretty tired at the moment." Ichigo suddenly yawned randomly and looked down at the disappointed alien below her. " Oh don't be sad. Like you said, we're pretty stuck here for a while… we'll play later, I'll probably whoop your butt again in a pillow fight!" She giggled and sat off Kish, in favour of lying next to him.

" Alright then my Koneko-Chan. I'll let you sleep. I don't think I'm tired enough though." He picked her up slightly and rest her against his body. " But you can lie here with me for a while if you want. When you're asleep, I'll put you down properly so you can have a comfortable slee-"

Unfortunately for Kish, Ichigo had already fallen to sleep. Damn cat genes.

**26. Alone in the house with her diary**

Kish did as he had promised and lay Ichigo more comfortably on her bed. She stirred slightly when he had moved her, but fell asleep again. Now Kish was alone in her room. Part of him, the really perverted part of him wanted to raid her personal belongings (no doubt you know what he wanted to find), but most of him didn't anymore. It would seem not right, since Ichigo was his girlfriend.

Girlfriend. That made him feel funny inside. Ichigo had finally become his, and it would seem unfair if he betrayed all the trust he had in her.

He looked around the room, looking for something to do. On bedside table was her alarm, her phone and her lamp. Nothing of interest there, especially because the phone was something Kish didn't think he could master without destroying it. On her study desk was a small radio, two magazine holders with various school projects and books, a few stray pencils here and there, but the thing that caught Kish's attention the most was a pink, fluffy book.

' Looks interesting…' He thought, not realizing it was her diary at first. He opened it up, only to realize the first date she had written in was the day he had jumped into her life.

_Dear Diary;_

_Yes, I finally got around to having a new diary! Yay me! Anyway, ohmigod. So much has happened! I'm glad this is private cos no-one'd believe me if I told them I was a MEW MEW! Yes, I, Ichigo Momomiya, happen to be Mew Ichigo! Some dude named Ryou Shirogane injected me with some DNA and now I'm part cat! I was on a perfectly good date with Aoyama-Kun too! Ah yeah, Aoyama-Kun's so cool! He's sweet and he cares so much about the environment! Perfect!_

_But that's not the real reason I'm writing. I could go on forever about my crush, but another boy jumped into my life today. If I remember correctly, his name is Kish. I think he's an alien, he sure didn't look human, not with those ears. Not that he wasn't cute or anything. No, I reckon he was actually alright! But if he turns out to be the enemy, then there's not way I could go with him! No way! He stole my first kiss too! Jerk! That was meant for Aoyama-Kun! But I have to admit, unless all kisses are that good, he's a good kisser! (Did I really just say that!??)_

_Ok well, that's it for now. I have so many assignments due for school that if I don't start now I'll fall behind, now that I'm a Mew Mew!_

_Goodnight!_

_Ichigo!_

Kish couldn't help but laugh out loud. He thought Ichigo enjoyed their first kiss, but not that much! And the nerve she had to lie about it!

' I'll remember this, I'll pay her out about it later.' He smirked, flicking through to any other significant dates. And then he found a date he remembered clearly. Unfortunately.

_Dear Diary._

_It's Valentines Day! But, while this is supposed to be a joyful occasion for Aoyama-Kun and I, I think it's the worst day I've had all year. Stupid Kish! He has to confuse me so much! Today, like any other day, he ordered me to go with him. I nearly did too! I mean, he puts up a good argument. He offered to take me to a place with no fighting, a place of peace. I would love that. Even if I had to go with him…_

_WHAT AM I SAYING! I love Aoyama-Kun…right? __**Right**__? But why do I like Kish too? I admit it, I think I do like him. But only on paper. I wouldn't say it aloud, that I like Kish. He's quite kind, he's never lied to me, and all he wants to do is save his planet and take me to a place of peace…_

_Ohmigod I forgot to mention, AOYAMA-KUN IS THE BLUE KNIGHT! But I'm worried. It feels wrong. I mean, __**Ao**__yama. __**Ao**__ no Kishi [Blue Knight. Is it really a coincidence? And the name of Kish's master is…_

_WHY DID __**KISH**__ POP UP AGAIN!_

_Anyway, I should go now, I'm just confusing myself more!_

_Ichigo!_

Sighing, Kish flicked through the diary once more. Ichigo wasn't as dumb as she made out to be sometimes, she had even begun to put together the fact that Masaya was Deep Blue. But he definitely had teasing material now! He saw some dates that included him, like the day he went away. But the most of the entry was about Masaya. Except one paragraph.

_If I could just say goodbye, I would. Kish, you'll never read this, you'll never return, I'll probably never be yours but thank you. I know now I love you too. Please forgive me for all I did, but I doubt you ever could. Even though I love Aoyama-Kun, I'll always have a place for you too. Thank you._

Kish's inside squirmed happily.

' You were wrong. I forgave you a long time ago. I'm reading it, I've returned and now you're mine. I love you too Ichigo.' He looked over to her and she was still asleep, her breathing steady and heavy. ' You are beautiful Ichigo.'

There was only one other page that mentioned him. Last night.

_Dear Diary;_

_It's been a while huh? I haven't written since Aoyama-Kun left. I re-read some of the entries in this diary and I'm shocked at how obsessed I was. He's moved on, and so have I, I suppose. But one good thing has come out of all this- Kish returned!_

_Wow, after two years I think I finally figured out I loved him. Yeah yeah, I've loved him all along. If he knew that, he'd tease me non stop! Not that I mind. Really, Kish is such a great comfort to me. He's so kind, passionate and careful. And wow has he changed! He's really hot now days. Ohmigod I just said it! Hehe! I'm blushing! In fact, he's changed so much now that he's human! Yes, Pai and Ryou combined their 'intellect' and made the three aliens human. At first, within the first few hours of Kish being human, he became so possessive, so rough with me, but he calmed down. And yet somehow I appreciated it. I love knowing he really cares. _

_I'm quite stressed though. I mean, mum and dad are visiting some one and I'm alone. Ryou's been working me hard, but my pay has risen! Thanks Keiichirou! And I have this nagging feeling I'm rushing things with Kish. Four days. Gah he's perverted still. And he's kissed me so many times I've lost count. Gosh now I sound like him. But anyway, I just wanted to write all these feelings._

_As I write, I get the same feeling I did two years ago when Kish used to sit outside my window and watch me sleep. But he's 'home' with Pai, Tart, Ryou and Keiichirou, right? Maybe he's thinking of me…_

_Either way, I'm going to bed._

_Ichigo!_

Kish closed the dairy, grinning. He never thought Ichigo thought he was hot. Ha. He had to admit, it was nice to know. Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. Picking up a pen and re-opening the diary, he began to write…

Kish finished writing and looked over his work. It was going to be a surprise for Ichigo next time she wanted to spill her emotions into that book. It was a short letter, but sweet. At least he hoped she'd see it that way. Speaking of Ichigo, it was now nearly 6pm, and Kish was truly bored. Ichigo was still sleeping soundly, flat on her back with her legs stretched out. She looked content, with a slight smile on her face. Deciding to wake her up, Kish walked over to her.

But not before having another evil idea.

When he reached her bed, Kish started to float and levitated over her body, looking like he was laying flat on top of her, but with those crucial few centimeters between them.

" Koneko-Chan…" He whispered, lowering his head slightly. " Wake up Koneko-Chan…" he laughed as Ichigo tried to ignore him. " Come on, wake up, it's getting late…" still Ichigo made no visible signs of waking up. " I'll go through your panties if you don't…" Suddenly Ichigo's eyes sprung open.

" You wouldn't--- AHH!" She yelled, trying not to sit up suddenly, otherwise she would have kneed him where it hurts (A/N: OW!). Kish smirked uncontrollably and looked down at her.

" Ahh she wakes. Did you sleep well my little kitten?" He reached down and started stroking her hair. " You slept quite contently I say. I think it's time you got up, I'm beginning to get bored."

"Wha…how are you on top of me but I don't feel it?" Ichigo asked, before realizing he was floating. She sighed in relief. " I thought I'd lost feeling of my body!" She laughed uneasily, trying to gain her dignity back. Kish stopped petting her hair and floated up slightly more so Ichigo could sit up.

" Well Ichigo, how's about we do something then? Perhaps we could make out!" He had no shame at all. Ichigo blushed and pushed him away playfully (N.B. He'd sat down next to her by now).

" Is that all you ever want to do?"

" No… but I know you enjoy it!" He smiled broadly. " I know for a fact you enjoyed our first kiss most of all!" Ichigo's face became more red and she started stammering.

" A-As if I liked it! Jerk, you jumped down and scared me half to death!"

" It's not as if you pulled away the very second I did!"

" I didn't know you!"

" So what, I didn't know you either! Like I said, you didn't pull away!"

" Sue me it was my first kiss!"

" And I know you wanted all the kisses in the world to be that good. I must admit, you're not wrong when you say I'm a good kisser!"

" How would you…" And then she spied it. Her diary. " You didn't!"

" Oh come on! I was left alone in this house with nothing to do! And I thought it looked interesting. I'm glad I opened it too Ichigo-Chan! I never knew how you really felt until now!" He put his arm around her shoulder playfully and tugged her over to him, making her rest her shoulder. She sighed with anger but relaxed.

" What else did you read! That's personal!" She looked up at Kish, who was staring at her with some sort of emotion in his eye. Not anger. Not playfulness. It was serious and caring.

" I forgave you a long time ago, when I left Koneko-Chan. I just wish you could have told me you loved me, those last few seconds I was alive. I would have liked it. And when I woke up from the Mew Aqua, we thought you were dead. So I couldn't say goodbye." He touched her forehead with his own and closed his eyes.

" You…you read…Kish, you know it's all true. I did and do love you. Very much." She closed the gap between them, her lips slightly pressing against his, before she pulled away again.

" Hey!" He whined, as she stood up off the bed and stretched. " That was cruel! Come back!"

" Well, come get it!" She laughed before Kish realized she was just playing.

He jumped off the bed and she shrieked happily, running into corners and making her way out, avoiding his kisses. Eventually Kish grabbed her from behind and placed a kiss on her lips.

" Gotcha!" He smirked, both of them giggling uncontrollably.

" Somehow you always seem to make me laugh at the worst of times!" She smiled and leaned back onto Kish, causing him to fall over (he wasn't expecting her to lean back!)

" Itai!" He cried out, before noticing Ichigo was laughing. " Hey, that really hurt ya know!"

" I know! But I thought you'd catch me! It's so funny!" Apparently it was to the redhead cat girl. She flipped over so she was facing him, sitting on his legs. " To think we've become so close that we can muck around like this, without me yelling at you to leave the humans alone and without you trying to annoy the hell out of me, it's nice isn't it?"

" Yup. But you know Koneko-chan…" Kish smirked. " I like to be on top." And he flipped her over so he was sitting on _her_ legs.

" Agh." Ichigo moaned, raising one eyebrow. " Now what… seriously, it's going to be quite boring, stuck here, in my house, for a few days…"

BANG. BANG. BANG.

And apparently, everything was about to get a lot more interesting.

**What did i tell u? CLIFFY! Lol sorry about any spelling errors ect, i have only JUST put spell check on my computer. Dont ask, its an old computer TT. BUT ITS GOOD NOW!**

**So, what will happen? How will Ichigo and Kish stop the whole world knowing ichigo and the mew's secret?  
Well, I KNOW! haha! And when i next update, so will u!**

**Please review, it encourages me to type faster!**

**Moonlit-Kris nyan!**


	8. The Brilliant Plan

**Hello readers! Ok, so here it is! The answer to the cliffhanger! WILL THE SECRET STILL BE A SECRET? Well, keep reading, and you'll see! Enjoy NYAN!**

**27. The Brilliant Plan**

" Ichigo Momomiya, are you there? It's Rein Kaman, from Tokyo Tonight. Please, come down Mew Ichigo, we want to talk!" Several voices from outside Ichigo's house started buzzing, and several reporters made their presence known.

" Oh crap." Ichigo cursed, quickly sitting up. Kish floated up but Ichigo pulled him down. " Don't let them see you, or me here! Oh crap what am I going to do?" Thinking fast, Kish whispered urgently.

" Go out there. Yell at them to go away, stay calm and deny being a Mew. Do it now, I'll explain the rest shortly ok? Trust me Koneko-Chan, I have a good idea, and they'll leave you alone…"

Ichigo nodded, placing all her trust into Kish. Heck, he hadn't failed her before. So she stood up and walked out onto her balcony.

" There she is! Ichigo, please, if you will, show us your Mew form for the cameras! Please!" Ichigo looked down and saw over thirty people gathered at the front of her house with cameras, microphones, voice recorders and more.

' Stay calm Ichigo… don't let your ears or tail show…'

" I would like everyone to leave me alone NOW. I am NOT Mew Ichigo, even though my name is Ichigo. It is a mistake. I do not know who the Mews are, so leave me and my co-workers alone!" She yelled, her eyes scanning the crowd. She felt confident until she saw that family. And with them was…

" Aoyama…kun?" Ichigo whispered, and he noticed this. He waved cheerfully. " How could you?" She whispered.

" It's not a secret anymore Ichigo-san. I let it slip to my family. And they thought it'd be best if you were tested, after all, it's amazing your DNA is that of human _and_ cat. It's a breakthrough."

" But… no way…" Ichigo started to cry. " I AM NOT MEW ICHIGO!" She yelled, keeping her identity a secret. She ran inside and saw Kish with her power pendant.

" Ok… part two Ichigo. Take this. I'll teleport you to another rooftop and you can transform and yell out to the crowds. Are you getting it now? We'll trick them because you cant teleport… but _I can_. It'll work trust me." Ichigo suddenly saw what he was talking about. If he could wonder around in the house, barging the door or something while Mew Ichigo made an appearance, it _would_ become convincing. She tried to smile but found herself remembering who had given away her secret.

" Aoyama-kun… I swear you're going to regret this…" She whispered lowly.

" So it was pretty Pinocchio boy who gave it away ne? I told you he was trouble. But anyway, the time for me to annoy you is later. Are you ready to trick them?"

" Hai."

---

" You know, I haven't transformed in ages… what if this doesn't work?"

" Calm down Ichigo it will work, just stay calm. Ready?"

" Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpho-SIS!" Ichigo suddenly flashed pink and could feel her tail and ears forming. She felt powerful and rejuvenated.

" Wow, no wonder I fell in love with you. You look so kawaii!" Kish teased, snapping Mew Ichigo out of her trance.

" I can take it from here. Ok…" She took a deep breath and Kish disappeared.

" Reporters and spectators of Tokyo! Look up here!" She called, and a few people looked around. Ichigo jumped down from the roof and everyone saw her.

" It's Mew Ichigo! But wait… isn't she Ichigo Momomiya?

" Yeah, no way Ichigo could have escaped and transformed without us seeing it!"

" Do the Mew Mews teleport? I didn't think so…"

" Listen up!" Ichigo called again, her confidence gaining points every second. " I demand you leave these innocent girls from the café alone. The other Mews and I like to keep our identity a secret, and besides, what happens if it turns out our real names aren't anything _like_ our Mew names? You have it all wrong, and any informants you might have must have the wrong information."

Ichigo glared at Masaya, who had now made his way to the front of the crowd.

" Ichigo stop playing games! It's time you gave up on your charade; it's been two years already. Shouldn't you be willing to help everyone understand how you became powerful."

" Excuse me _sir_, but my name is _Mew_ Ichigo, and even though it has been two years, it doesn't mean that my powers are gone. You have no right to try and expose us with misleading information. Now everyone go home."

" Well, if you're not Ichigo, how do we know we don't only have one wrong name? What if the other Mews are whom we think they are?"

" Because we're right here!" A voice trilled across the air and five other figures jumped down, startling Ichigo.

" Mew Lettuce, Mew Mint, Mew Pudding, Mew Zakuro, Mew Berii… what are you all doing here?"

" We heard about what was happening to those poor girls and we decided to step in!" Berii announced and some murmur was heard above the noise.

" Hang on, there's six of them now, there's only three waitresses at Café Mew Mew. Well, there _were_ five…"

" I'm not sure… didn't they have another one there for a while… I'm really confused!"

" Then go home. Leave everyone alone. After all, who cares who we are? As long as the Mews are here to protect everyone from any dangers, what does it matter if we're waitresses, models, singers, rich, poor or anything? Just leave everyone alone…" Ichigo pleaded.

" Alright… come on crew, I think that if we publish this story we'll just be deemed unworthy… there's not enough evidence anymore… let's go."

And so they dispersed, well, all but one family. The Aoyama's.

" I don't understand. How did you girls get here so fast and not be seen?" Mrs. Aoyama stated.

" What _we_ don't understand is the fact you have tried to expose us with no apparent reason! It's cruel and unfair to those not involved!" Berii screeched.

" And the fact that you had the nerve to try and 'expose' those girls at work. They have their own lives, their own friends, and you just robbed them from everything." Zakuro spat.

" Mum, brother, sister, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to the girls myself." Masaya asked and the three left , leaving Masaya and the girls alone together.

" Ichigo, everyone, I don't know how you did it but you fooled them. So I give my congratulations. I wont try again, it was basically a mistake that I made you go through all this. But I swear you need to reveal yourselves one day, just so everyone knows who you are. So we'll all feel safe again. But for now, it's all right." He smiled and started to walk off. " Goodbye Ichigo, Berri, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, Zakuro, have a nice life, look after each other ok?"

Ichigo stood there, a little more than shocked at him. He had given away their secret and now it was _all right_. She waited until she knew he and his family were out of earshot before she turned around and gave a huge hug to the other girls.

" Zakuro, Berii, how the hell did you get here from China and France! How did any of you know to come here today? Oh!" She sniffled back tears, of both relief and joy.

" Tar-Tar and Pai and Kish came for us na no da!" Pudding cried, smiling with joy.

" Yeah, some tall guy with big ears and purple hair told me to come immediately, that you were in trouble and I would have to transform first. I think I should apologize to him for not believing him, but then another alien appeared and said there was a riot and his … uh… 'Koneko-Chan' and her teammates were in trouble and… well I don't know why but I believed him, I mean, the only cat I know is you Ichigo!" She smiled and turned to everyone else.

" Well, it's time we got re-united properly , don't you think?"

" Hai!"

---

The six Mew girls sat on Ichigo's floor in her room, each of them back to normal. Ichigo decided to host a small sleepover before Zakuro and Berii had to head overseas again.

" So is Berii-Oneechan enjoying France na no da?"

" Hai, it's great fun! Tasuku and I are still together," There was romantic sighs coming from all sides of the room, " But I think it's great to be back in Japan, I think I find speaking my native language a LOT easier than speaking French. I lose myself sometimes!" She giggled and Zakuro nodded.

" I understand, I know so many languages now I probably could invent my own by mixing them all up!" She laughed too and Ichigo stood up.

" Well, here's to an eventful day, a successful finish and a grand reunion. Nyan!" She cried out. Everyone laughed. It had been a while…

" Well, since we're together, why don't we stay up all night and then tomorrow normality can continue…" Mint started. " Well, except the fact we have our ex-enemies living among us! I think we're going to have to stick to caps and hoods now days ne?" She giggled, pointing to Kish, who was nodding off in a tree outside Ichigo's house, again. He was wearing some PJ's that Ichigo borrowed from Mint's brother and a cap. Pai and Tart were downstairs with Ryou and Keiichirou.

" I'm glad my parents won't return tomorrow! If they did, there's no way we could do this! It's all thanks to Kish!"

" You know, the last time I heard you say that was when you were getting aggressive about something Kish had done. 'It's all thanks to Kish Masaya and my date is cancelled!' Or something like that." Lettuce giggled, noting Kish stirring. He could hear his name mentioned but didn't know what they were saying. He was too tired. Well, one would be after regaining powers, destroying (well, _tampering_ with) aircraft, spending a whole day in Ichigo's room reading and then devising a foolproof plan on the spot. Pai was impressed at Kish's quick thinking.

_**Flashback**_

" Please Pai, I need you to find your way to the other Mews! It's important! Ichigo is in serious trouble and unless this happens even _we'll_ be exposed!" Kish pleaded inside their house.

" Alright, alright. But how did you figure this out on your own?" Pai crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

" I uh… really don't know. It just came to me, you know?" Pai sighed.

" I wish you used this sort of intelligence to gain Mew Aqua years ago… but I suppose it wouldn't have mattered. I'm impressed Kish. I'll see you outside the Momomiya residence as soon as I find Zakuro and 'Berii'."

_**End Flashback**_

Kish smirked in his limbo stage. Sure, Pai's compliments were flattering, but Ichigo's took the cake. Let's just say he was no longer "just a friend" in front of other friends and he had never been pounced on like that before. And with this thought in mind, he fell asleep.

---

" So anyway Ichigo, enough about talking about the Mews. What's with your new boyfriend? Isn't he uh…an _alien_?" Berii asked, pointing to Kish.

" I know I know…" Ichigo started.

" Ah Kish has always had a thing for Ichigo." Mint started, sipping her tea like she always was.

" And apparently Ichigo had a thing for Kish after a while, even though she was madly in love with Aoyama-kun. It was quite hard I imagine, but now things have settled ne?" Lettuce nodded her head and smiled.

" Pfft, what an airhead Aoyama turned out to be. I thought that he was quite nice. Well, I suppose you cant judge a book by it's cover!" Zakuro stated, lounging on a beanbag Ichigo had found in her cupboard.

" Hai! And Tar-Tar and I are becoming good friends na no da!" Pudding stated with a hypo tone in her voice. She was always so hypo.

" Calm down Pudding! Anyway, yeah, I'm glad Kish came through for me… that last battle confused me. Before you came Berii the aliens tried to take over the earth, and Aoyama-Kun turned out to be the one behind it all, well, subconsciously anyway. And Kish saved me, not Aoyama. Aoyama-Kun _killed_ everyone here, even the three aliens. But I got through to him…" She sighed. " I'm glad everything's ok now!" Everyone started laughing again, because Ichigo had tried to sit down on her chair, which Pudding pulled out at the final moment. She laughed too, but was in pain. Well, slightly.

" Hey Ichigo?" A voice from outside called softly. Ichigo stood up and saw Kish leaning in her window. " It's not like I don't mind hearing stories from the past and all, but I'm _really_ tired! Can you guys keep it down a little please?" He sounded so tired, exhausted and practically annoyed.

" Alright, goodnight Kish… oh gosh it's almost midnight! Goodnight Minna!"

" Oyasuminasai, Ichigo!"

**So there it is! I actually DIDN'T plan for Berii to come back, but as I typed, it made sense. Hah. Actually, I've written this without a plan at ALL. I usually sit in the car though, thinking " Hey, they could do THIS or THIS could happen!" And that's sort of my planning! Ok well I'll try make a few things clear here-**

** Masaya was with his REAL family at the time of this incident, they sort of got together in a way  
Kish likes sleeping outside Ichigo's window, thus wasnt sleeping downstairs with the other boys  
If you're wondering, I have gone through my whole story and added '---' to indicate new paragraphs etc. I didnt realise that the little star things i had originally in my word doc. didnt show up. IM SORRY! Gommen, forgive me!  
If there is any Japanese you dont understand completely that i forgot to put at the beginning of the story, for instance, "Oyasuminasai" [which means "goodnight" and would like me to tell you the meaning, hey, just ask ok? Lol!**

**And now it is time for me to pay my respects to those AWESOME readers who sent in reviews and kept me typing! Thanks alot guys! I have a bit more to go in this story, so ANY reviews/ideas etc. are welcome!**

Moonlit-Kris  
NYAN!

**KishIsMyBoo123  
****Simma  
****xoMoichella  
****JustDifferent202  
****KishuxIchigo 4Eva  
****kishtartandpiearepastries  
****Property Of Kish  
****Most Unlikely Angel  
****Carly-chan  
****phantom and potter Obsession  
****colliechaos  
****intricate designs**


	9. The End: I'm still Falling For You

**Gomen ne, this is the end, and it is relatively short, I needed to finish it!**

**Enjoy!**

**28. The End…**

The morning came quicker than anyone had expected. Kish had fallen asleep as soon as he had sat down in the tree again, and the other Mews did as well. All of them except Ichigo. She stayed up, watching everyone sleep.

' _This is what it means… to be Tokyo Mew Mew… having people sleep soundly at night, knowing nothing can come of harm to them because of the Mews…' She smiled. ' To think that Kish was the one causing trouble at one stage… and now even he sleeps soundly at night… perhaps that's why I'm not sleeping, because I feel I have to watch over everyone, now we're all together again, because I'm leader.'_

_Ichigo looked at her bedside alarm clock, and saw it was nearly an hour and a half since everyone fell asleep. But somehow she didn't feel sleepy anymore. She looked out to Kish, who was slumped over the branch he had grown accustomed to sleeping on. Ichigo wanted to go out there and talk to him, thank him again for today, but she also wanted him to sleep soundly. He deserved it._

' _Maybe I just want to be in his arms again. I always fall asleep easily in Kish's arms… what I wouldn't do to sleep right now with him… perhaps that's why I'm not sleeping.'_

' _Maybe… what's bothering me… isn't the fact we're all together again… perhaps… it's Aoyama-Kun… why the hell did he try to expose me?' She sighed heavily. ' Ah… I need to sleep…'_

Eventually she did sleep, but not for long. At nearly 8 in the morning Kish woke her up, patting her slightly.

" Wake up Koneko-Chan… we really need to get everyone to their homes again, I just heard some people talking about the model Zakuro being missing… seriously, I'm sorry but you need to wake up."

Ichigo sat up groggily and noticed everyone else was missing.

" Where _is_ everyone?" She asked. Kish laughed lightly.

" Downstairs eating. They asked if I should wake you up, seeing that you weren't stirring when the alarm went off, but I said to leave you be. I know you didn't get to sleep until much later on. You shouldn't worry yourself too much Koneko-Chan. Tonight I will make _sure_ you sleep, ok?"

" Hai… " She stood up and started walking towards the door. " You coming?"

" Yeh… hey, are you sure you're all right?" Suddenly Kish noticed the dark rings under Ichigo's eyes, the fact she couldn't keep her eyes open for long and how she was having difficulty walking. " Maybe you should wait up here, I'll get everyone to come to you. "

" No, no. I'll be fine… I just need to wake up is all. Come on Kish, let's go eat!" Ichigo tried to sound enthusiastic, but it wouldn't come. Kish appreciated that though and walked right behind her, holding her steady. At least she was trying.

---

Like she had promised, Ichigo improved as she woke up more and more. Keiichirou had prepared breakfast [bacon and eggs and Ryou was talking to Berii about France and the other four girls were watching the news. Pai and Tart were still eating.

" Ohayo Minna!" Ichigo called out and every eye landed on her. Ryou and Keiichirou waved slightly and the two alien boys nodded their heads, not wanting to spill any breakfast from their mouths.

" Ichigo how _are_ you? You look tired! Didn't you get to sleep until late? Kish said he could hear you until nearly _two_. Why?" Mint asked, giving Ichigo a hug.

" I was thinking… hey, how'd you know I was up?" She turned around to face Kish, who had a smug look on his face.

" Well I heard someone stand up and then I saw you sit there for what seemed like forever. Eventually I nodded off again but I soon woke up when I heard you sighing. You sigh a lot Koneko-Chan."

" You're ears are _that_ sensitive na no da? Didn't you wake up to hear Shirogane snore?" Pudding asked, and in the background you could hear Ryou retaliate and shout out "Hey!"

" No, only to Ichigo." He smiled as Ichigo blushed.

" Come on Ichigo, eat up, we've got to say goodbye shortly, I've been missing for too long now." Zakuro smiled [rare indeed ne? and got Ichigo's breakfast. Lettuce pulled out a chair and Ichigo sat down.

" Arigatou."

---

Ichigo ate slowly, watching everyone goof off before her. Instead of watching TV like before, Pudding and Tart were jumping up and down on the mattress Ichigo had pulled out for the other boys, Lettuce, Zakuro and Pai were in deep conversation, Berii was jumping _over_ Pudding and Tart and Kish was leaning against a wall behind Ichigo. Ryou and Keiichirou were trying there hardest to watch TV, but to no avail.

" Just like old times ne?" Ichigo whispered. She finished her breakfast and stood up, wavering slightly again. Kish grabbed her from behind and steadied her up.

" What's wrong Koneko-Chan? You're so… tired." He whispered in her ear, his voice dripping with concern and with a slight scent of playfulness.

" I reckon becoming a Mew again took it out of me, and like you said, I didn't sleep well." Ichigo sighed and leant back into Kish, who squeezed her tighter. " Thanks, by the way." Kish nodded and placed his chin on her head. He was about to say something when a voice spoke up.

" Well…it's almost 9 everyone…" Keiichirou spoke up and momentarily everything stopped. Berii, Pudding and Tart stopped jumping; Lettuce, Pai and Zakuro stopped speaking, Ryou and Keiichirou, well, stopped trying to see the TV and Kish and Ichigo stood there in silence.

" I suppose this is goodbye everyone… aw thanks for having me! I will come back to Japan one day! And I'll tell Tasuku that you all said hello!" Berii stood up and hugged everyone, even Ryou, Keiichirou and the aliens- except Kish, at first. When she came around to Ichigo, Kish let go slightly, letting Ichigo hug her old buddy.

" Thankyou Ichigo, I am glad that I helped you keep our identities a secret. But I'm a little disappointed that you're not still with that Masaya guy, because, it was sort of you and him that influenced Tasuku and me to get together, but as long as you're happy…" She trailed off and looked at Kish, as if to say:

' Don't hurt her, ever, or else you'll get your ass whooped.'

And Kish shook his head lightly, replaced his arms around Ichigo and in his eyes you could read:

' Never. I'll never let her get hurt, I swear on my life.'

And once that little confrontation was over, Zakuro began to say her goodbyes.

" Oneesama! Take me with you! I want to go to China and model!"

" No Mint, you have to stay here. Keep in contact though, ok everyone?" Zakuro didn't go around and hug everyone like Berii, because there was no need. The fact Zakuro was even speaking was a miracle in its self. She did, however, give Kish the same look Berii had. Ichigo was slightly annoyed at this, but they were just looking out for her.

" Sayonara Zakuro, Berii! Safe trip and you have keep well ok? Don't cause any trouble! Until next time!" Ichigo called as both Mews took one of Pai's arms each. Tart waved goodbye to everyone, especially Pudding and stood in front of Pai. And with a final farewell, they were all gone.

" Ichigo-san, I think I better head home, my parents don't like me staying at a friends place without knowing I'm ok, so…" Ichigo nodded.

" Ja ne, Lettuce!"

" I might head home too Ichigo, I need to pick out a dress for my new ballet recital. I will send invites and such. Bye, bye."

" Me too Ichigo-oneesan! Pudding needs to go home and feed her siblings na no da!"

" Bye Mint, bye Pudding. Talk soon ok?" Ichigo smiled as all three girls left her house. She could feel in herself that they were closer friends now; almost as close they were when they were Tokyo Mew Mew. That feeling had faded after time once they split, but now it was stronger than anything.

" I expect to see you at work next week Ichigo. It may be Wednesday but I think you all deserve a break. Bye Ichigo. Bye Kish." Ryou nodded and Keiichirou bowed. It was the first time someone actually said goodbye to Kish too. He lifted his head and nodded, then placed it back on Ichigo's hair as the door shut for the last time.

" Well, if you're expecting me to say goodbye, don't. 'Cos I'm not going anywhere!" Kish grinned, spinning Ichigo around.

" Good! Once my parents return and such you wont be able to stay here, but for now, you're welcome!"

" Oh no, I'll stay here! I'll stay outside your window, like all those years ago! I wont leave you out of my sight! Not even when you bathe!

" Oi! Pervert!" Ichigo play punched him and he returned the blow. Soon enough they were in a play boxing match and moving all around the lounge room.

Punch, dodge, duck, punch….

Unfortunately for Ichigo however, she was traveling backwards and tripped over the mattress. She went flying backwards and expected to hit the hard floor until she felt an arm snake around her waist, holding her up.

" See, this why I have to keep a constant eye on you Koneko-Chan!" Kish laughed as he pulled her up close.

" You wont _really_ stalk me that much will you Kish?" She asked seriously. Kish laughed again and kissed the top of her head.

" Not unless it is necessary, or you ask me to do so. I'm past that now, I mean, why would I want to destroy your trust?" Ichigo sighed and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

" You know what Kish?"

" Mm?"

" I think, with every passing day, it's not over. I'm still falling for you, over and over again."

**Fin!**

**Now for a long Authors Note…**

**Ah, such a rushed ending TT. I hope you liked it because I enjoyed writing it! I always like to incorporate my titles into the story somehow and there it is. It's 64 pages on word, which is a record for a fanfic! Well, for me anyway! **

**So tell me, did you like the ending? I didn't want to end it with them kissing, I've seen it all too much. I like the idea of them play boxing!**

**And now, here is the time where I give credits to all those who helped write/inspire this story:**

**DISCLAIMER****: I DO NOT OWN TOKYO MEW MEW OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. (I thought I'd put it now, it's awfully annoying when you have a disclaimer in every chapter. So here it is, in bold and capitals. )**

**INSPIRATION:**** I would like to thank Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida, the creators of TMM for giving a great story line and awesome characters. I would **_**also**_** like to flame them for creating Masaya Aoyama, even though, at first, I thought he was a cutie and loved him. Now… bleh. KICHIGO!**

**And I would also like to thank the writer of the Kichigo fic, Catnapped, (which is Xaphrin) because it was her story that made me say " Hey, I want to try writing a fanfic!" So Thankyou!**

**REVEIWERS:**

**Alright, here we go!**

**Wraith Kyuubi**

**KishIsMyBoo123**

**Simma**

**xoMoichella**

**JustDifferent202**

**KishuxIchigo 4Eva**

**kishtartandpiearepastries**

**Property Of Kish**

**Most Unlikely Angel**

**Carly-chan**

**phantom and potter Obsession**

**colliechaos**

**intricate designs**

**A few of you are constant reviewers, so thanks a lot you guys! Your feedback means a lot to me!**

**Soshite;**

**Owarimasu!**

**Ja Ne!**

**Moonlit-Kris**


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